August 28, 2018 - SACRAMENTO – On Monday, the State Assembly approved passage of Senate Bill 1108, which prohibits work requirements as a condition of Medi-Cal eligibility.
Authored by Senator Ed Hernandez, O.D. (D-West Covina) and approved by a vote of 50-18*, SB 1108 was introduced after the Trump Administration invited states to revise their Medicaid programs to include punitive requirements that will lead to fewer people with health insurance. This bill ensures that California stands firmly against this concept, and continues to prioritize access to health care for some of our lowest-income residents.
“I have worked tirelessly to ensure that Californians have access to quality, affordable health care. Millions of people in California gained comprehensive health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and we need to make sure it stays that way,” said Senator Hernandez. “SB 1108 puts California on record against Trump’s effort to undermine our remarkable progress rejecting his efforts to take Medi-Cal coverage away from those who need it most.”
On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a State Medicaid Director Letter providing guidance on waiver proposals for states to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients.
States instituting work requirements in Medicaid may bring more harm to individuals, including reducing low-income families’ access to care, worsening health outcomes, and making it more difficult for them to maintain health care coverage.
SB 1108 authorizes the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to seek federal Medicaid waivers that further the goal of Medi-Cal, which is to provide comprehensive health care to low-income Californians who can’t afford the cost of health care. The bill would require a waiver proposed by DHCS, which offers nonmedical benefits to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, to offer these benefits on a voluntary basis, and not as a condition of receiving medical assistance.
SB 1108 now heads back to the Senate for concurrence and then, pending approval, to the Governor.
Read the SB 1108 bill language.
Read the SB 1108 fact sheet.
*This number may change as members are allowed to change their vote once session adjourns for the day.
Source: Senator Ed Hernandez
Related Information: California Senate Approves Bill Banning Medicaid Work Requirements