Medi-Cal: street medicine.

Assembly Member Mark González's street medicine initiative aims to expand healthcare access for Californians experiencing homelessness through targeted changes to the Medi-Cal program. The legislation establishes a framework for delivering medical care directly to individuals in non-traditional settings like encampments and vehicles, while creating new pathways for enrollment and service coordination.

The bill authorizes Medi-Cal managed care plans to contract with street medicine providers - licensed medical professionals who conduct patient visits outside clinical settings. These providers can determine presumptive eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal coverage without cost sharing, allowing immediate access to care while formal applications are processed. Contracted providers can also directly refer patients for specialized services, diagnostic testing, and medical equipment within plan networks, regardless of standard network assignment restrictions.

To facilitate identification and outreach, the legislation requires Medi-Cal and the California Statewide Automated Welfare System to share data on applicants' and beneficiaries' housing status. By January 2027, insurance affordability program applications must include an optional question about homelessness. Managed care plans must establish mechanisms for beneficiaries to report their housing status online, by phone, or in person, and share this information with county agencies.

The Department of Health Care Services will implement these provisions upon securing federal approvals and financial participation. The bill specifies that street medicine services should complement, rather than duplicate, existing Medi-Cal benefits like community health worker programs and enhanced care management. Counties may receive state reimbursement for new administrative costs related to presumptive eligibility determinations and data sharing requirements.