2020 New Year’s Resolution

2020 will be an important year for Californians with disabilities, their families and our communities.  Along with bringing significant state rate reform and continued challenges from the Federal government, the California legislature will soon begin work on a new budget that is intended to focus more on supporting people and less on simply funding existing government departments by creating greater cooperation, accountability and transparency.

On Friday, January 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his FY2020-21 state budget proposal. The record $222.2 billion proposal represents an increase of 3.5% over the FY2019-20 budget.

Newsom’s budget assumes a state surplus of $5.6 billion, lower than the $7 billion projected in November by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. The lower surplus projection is due to the fact that assumed revenues from a managed care organization provider tax has not yet been approved by the Trump administration. This tax is one of the supplemental Federal payments being targeted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for elimination.

“This budget is a reflection of our shared values as Californians: it goes beyond funding departments and programs,” writes Mark Ghaly, MD, Ph.D Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the Health and Human Services FY2020-2021 Budget proposal. “It invests in all of us as human beings, each with our own strengths and struggles.” Of particular interest to the 369,000 Californians with disabilities are efforts to better integrate health services and human services that improve the health and well-being of all and make services “accessible, affordable, high-quality and equitable for all.”

The Health and Human Services budget proposal also focuses on person-centered programs by better use of integrated data “organized around people and communities rather than programs to enhance the actionable use of data to better understand the conditions of communities, the impact of current programs and the opportunities to improve the delivery of services.”

The budget proposes collaboration with the Developmental Services Task Force, of which I am a member, and other stakeholders to develop recommendations on how to reform the financing of the developmental services delivery system to improve the quality and value of services delivered that prioritizes outcomes, and innovation, and provides transparency, oversight, and accountability. I am excited to serve on this Task Force and believe that it will be instrumental in developing these reforms to create a more responsive and sustainable IDD system.

 The Budget also proposes to establish a Performance Incentive Program for Developmental Services administered through the Regional Center system. The Performance Incentive Program would provide payments to Regional Centers to incentivize the availability of service options to align with the changing demographics of consumers, while improving data collection to demonstrate value.

And, the Budget proposes to consolidate existing resources to establish a Center for Data Insights and Innovation by integrating the Office of Innovation, the Office of the Patient Advocate, and the Office of Health Information Integrity. The Center will focus on leveraging data to develop the knowledge and insights to improve program delivery and drive system transformation by tearing down “government silos that don’t allow the department to see how programs do or don’t work together.”

So, as we move into the New Year I ask that everyone adopts three easy resolutions that will support this movement toward a society that unlocks the power and potential of all individuals.

The first is to educate yourselves on issues and vote so that your priorities and values are reflected in our elected officials.

The second is to participate in the census. All Californians must be counted so that our state receives the federal resources allocated by state population.

The third is to follow along with us as we navigate this year. Our team is excited to share up-to-date information concerning people with disabilities and educating our community on the topics that mean the most to this incredible and diverse community.

To view the California Department of Health and Human Services FY2020-2021budget proposal presentation click here.

To access the budget proposal and follow the progress as it move through the legislative process you can visit the California Department of Finance budget page by clicking here.