Lance Sanchez / Daily Nexus
Santa Barbara County served 161,827 individuals and 81,580 families during September 2024 through the county’s Medi-Cal program, according to the County of Santa Barbara Department of Social Services.
Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid healthcare program, supported by state and federal taxes, that provides free or low-cost medical services to eligible individuals and families with limited income and resources, according to the California Department of Health Care Services.
Medi-Cal covers more than one-third of the state’s population, according to the Department. Approximately 88% of Medi-Cal members are currently covered through a managed care plan, where they receive healthcare services within a network of providers managed by Medi-Cal. The remaining 12% of members access healthcare through a fee-for-service system, where Medi-Cal pays providers directly for each service rendered.
Second District Supervisor of Santa Barbara County and Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors Laura Capps said in an interview with the Nexus that to be eligible for Medi-Cal, residents must meet specific criteria.
According to Capps, the criteria includes “people earning up to 138% of the federal poverty line. Former foster youth are now covered until age 26 instead of 18 or 21. There are special programs for pregnant women, terminally ill patients, those needing long-term care, older adults and individuals with disabilities.”
Out of the last five fiscal years, the County primarily had the largest amount of individuals and families enrolled in Medi-Cal during 2022-2023.
Capps said that the county is deeply committed to ensuring eligible residents, including students, can easily access the healthcare services they need.
“These essential programs are funded by the state and federal government, and the county's role is to administer them,” Capps said. “That's incredibly important, where the lifeline to the actual people, students included, who depend on this kind of health coverage, and so we are at that end of the lifeline, enrolling people and making sure that we're reaching those who are eligible.”
Once a resident applies for Medi-Cal, their eligibility is reviewed by the County to determine if they can access the program benefits.
“Our eligibility workers are — I believe — unsung heroes in the county because they, again, are that boots on the ground: [that] actual voice, actual person who helps you figure out if you're eligible for a program and potentially other programs as well,” Capps said.
She acknowledged that many residents face challenges accessing these essential services.
“If you qualify for some of these programs, that means that you're usually working a couple jobs, you're going to school, you might have kids [and] life is not necessarily all that easy on a day-to-day basis,” Capps said. “To access programs, to fill out the application, to do the interviews — whatever it might take — is yet another hurdle, another hoop to go through in an already very sometimes chaotic daily existence.”
She said that administering the Medi-Cal program is a universal challenge, but she is focused on connecting county residents with resources.
“It's on us to reach people where they are, and so you'll see things like the resource fairs and parties that are put on campus with pizza and over 100 people participating,” Capps said. “We deliver where people are, as opposed to putting them through extra burdens, extra hoops in order to receive these very necessary services,” Capps said.
Capps said that the county is actively trying to improve Medi-Cal coverage.
“These programs exist. They’re paid for by the state and federal government, and just from a fiscal point of view, if we don't have high participation rates, we're actually leaving money on the table that should be helping people,” Capps said. “Healthcare is a basic need. It's a right, in my opinion, and if people aren't getting that healthcare, it's just so fundamental to their lives.”
Capps emphasized that the county is taking proactive measures to ensure residents are aware of these resources.
“Our Department of Public Health has public health fairs. There’s information sent out through schools, through employers, through neighborhood clinics. We're always looking for ways to again, meet people where they are,” Capps said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 12 of the Nov. 7, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.
