Bill > SB246

This bill expands Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) graduate medical education (GME) payments to include district and municipal public hospitals (DMPHs), which are currently not designated for such funding. The bill requires the California Department of Health Care Services to make additional Medi-Cal payments to these nondesignated public hospitals and their affiliated government entities to support the costs associated with medical training programs. These payments will be structured similarly to existing payments for designated public hospitals, consisting of direct and indirect GME payments that recognize the increased operational costs of teaching programs. The funding mechanism will rely on voluntary intergovernmental transfers (IGTs) from the hospitals or their affiliated entities, with no state General Fund money being used. A new DMPH GME Special Fund will be established to manage these transfers and payments, and the department is authorized to seek federal approvals for these payments, which would become effective no earlier than January 1, 2026. The bill allows the department's director flexibility to modify requirements to maximize federal financial participation and ensures that any transferred funds must qualify for federal financial participation under Medicaid laws.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB246