Cal AIM: California Requests Federal Approval for Medicaid Waiver
In July, California submitted an 1115 Medicaid waiver to the federal government to request authorization and funding for several demonstration projects over the next five years. The waiver—called “Cal AIM” (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal)—is designed to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities for the more than 13 million Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program).
If approved, Cal AIM would increase “whole person” models that address the social determinants of health—such as housing, food insecurity, economic insecurity, and others—through coordinated, wraparound services that meet the holistic needs of patients. Cal AIM builds upon the Whole Person Care pilots, which for the past six years at the county level have provided individuals identified at risk of homelessness, justice system involvement, substance use disorder and other diagnoses with care management teams, integrating Community Health Workers and social workers into the delivery system. With Cal AIM, California has the opportunity to expand this patient-centered model to thousands of individuals in under-resourced communities. Read more about the proposal here.
Along with dozens of other stakeholders in California, Community Health Councils submitted comments in support of this waiver request outlining the positive impact these programs could have on Medi-Cal beneficiaries in California.