Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Victoria Colliver
That would involve moving some departments, such as the Department of Managed Health Care, and all the licensing boards including the California Medical Board, under the authority of the department. The governor also suggests shifting the responsibility of the Medically Indigent Adults program, which is for adults who do not qualify for Medi-Cal, from counties to the state. It also recommends changing the HIV reporting system to use names rather than codes, and reducing reimbursement for child-care providers not licensed by the state.
IMPACT
The changes in health and human services are expected to save just under $5 billion over five years.
Most of the savings -- $4 billion over five years -- would come from eliminating the role of counties in enrolling people for Medi-Cal and other health and human services programs. The move would also result in cutting nearly 17,000 county jobs.
The impact of the reorganization of departments is less clear, because many of the changes primarily involve shuffling rather than eliminating programs and functions.
REACTION
"Our biggest concerns are that, in the shuffle, key functions will get lost, including the ability to provide oversight to HMOs and protect people's rights," said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access, referring to the Department of Managed Health Care. "We're concerned that some of the proposals would make it harder for children and other people to enroll in health programs and other services they need."
Fred Dillon, public policy director for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said changing the HIV-reporting system from codes to names might have unhealthy consequences. "It (the current system) gives us the data we need, while not scaring away people from getting tested. We don't want to put in anything that would be perceived as a barrier," he said.
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