A bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk would direct the state to study the feasibility of adding services like in-home care for older or disabled Californians to the list of required benefits in Medi-Cal.
Right now, it is optional for Medi-Cal providers to offer community services that help people stay at home or in an assisted-living facility instead of a nursing home.
Hagar Dickman, director of California long-term services and supports advocacy for the nonprofit Justice in Aging, noted one of those providers, Health Net, announced last month it will drop assisted-living benefits in certain counties on Jan. 1, 2027.
"They decided that they no longer want to provide it – that it is cheaper for them to have people going in and out of hospitals and long-term care stays than to have people stably housed in assisted living," Dickman said.
