Title:
Title
Consideration for Extension of the Whole Person Care Pilot Program
End
FileID
File ID: 2020-01008
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation:
Recommendation
1) Review options for extension of the Whole Person Care (Pathways to Health + Home) pilot program; and 2) provide direction to City staff for implementation of an extension or ramp-down approach.
FileName
Contact: Emily Halcon, Homeless Services Manager, (916) 808-7896, Office of the City Manager
Body
Presenter: Emily Halcon, Homeless Services Manager, (916) 808-7896, Office of the City Manager
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Background3-Pathways Program Dashboard
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: Under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act, the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services can waive specific provisions of major health and welfare programs, including certain requirements of Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California). This authority permits the Secretary to allow states to use federal Medicaid funds in ways that are not otherwise allowed under the federal rules, as long as the Secretary determines that the initiative is an "experimental, pilot, or demonstration project" that "is likely to assist in promoting the objectives of the program." Waivers are typically approved for a five-year period and can be extended, typically for three years. In 2016, the California State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) launched the Whole Person Care (WPC) program under a 1115 waiver, allowing California communities to create a system of supportive services aimed to improve health outcomes and reduce utilization of high-cost services for vulnerable populations. In June 2017, the City of Sacramento was accepted into the WPC program and became the only City implementation of WPC pilots statewide (all the rest are counties). In Sacramento, the WPC program is called the Pathways to Health + Home (Pathways) program and supports broader City strategies to reduce and pr...
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