{"id":66041,"date":"2024-07-16T08:12:58","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T15:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=66041"},"modified":"2024-07-16T08:12:58","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T15:12:58","slug":"how-medi-cal-is-helping-californias-growing-older-and-disabled-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=66041","title":{"rendered":"How Medi-Cal is Helping California\u2019s Growing Older and Disabled Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Selen Ozturk<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For the over six million Californians aged 65 and over, and the over seven and a half million with a disability, getting the care they need has not always been easy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For the over six million Californians aged 65 and over, and the over seven and a half million with a disability, getting the care they need has not always been easy.<\/p>\n

To help these Californians live healthier lives in their own communities, Medi-Cal \u2014 California\u2019s version of Medicaid \u2014 has new programs including integration with Medicare; elimination of asset limits restricting eligibility; enhanced care management; and expanded community services like housing aid and healthy meals.<\/p>\n

At a Wednesday, July 10 Ethnic Media Services briefing, Department of Health Care Services officials and community health care providers explained what new programs are available to older and disabled Californians, how they\u2019re implemented on the ground and how these programs are changing lives.<\/p>\n

An overview<\/h2>\n

Nearly 6 million Californians, or 15% of the state\u2019s population, were aged 65 and older as of 2021 according to the U.S. Census \u2014 a number projected to grow to over 8.7 million, or 20% of the state, by 2030.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0CDC<\/a>\u00a0reports that over 7.6 million Californians have a disability.<\/p>\n

Dana Durham, DHCS Managed Care Quality and Monitoring Division chief], said Medi-Cal is helping older and disabled Californians through Community Supports and Enhanced Care Management (ECM), programs that \u201cmeet social drivers of health\u201d \u2014 like housing, healthy food, language access, and preventative health care \u2014 \u201cin people\u2019s communities so they can stay in the least restrictive setting possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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