Commission member to testify on $1.9 billion county funding request tied to federal changes

Commission member Mimi told the Plumas County Behavioral Health Commission on March 4 that she will testify April 6 before an Assembly health and human services subcommittee to press for a multi-year state funding package to shore up county health and safety-net services.

Mimi described the proposal as "a recommendation for $1,900,000,000 over 2 years," saying the money would be intended for county health and human services, county behavioral health, county social services and public hospitals to offset costs resulting from federal and state policy shifts.

She said the request aims to cover about one-third of roughly 400,000 individuals expected to lose Medi-Cal and a portion of an additional 880,000 people who may seek indigent care, placing a strain on county safety nets. Mimi said the exact allocation to individual counties has not yet been set and would be decided as the request advances through the legislative and budget process.

Mimi said associations and partners, including county associations, health organizations and unions, are supporting the effort and that she was asked to testify because of her experience as a county supervisor and former agency director. "They have a lot of partners," she said, noting unions and health care organizations are part of the coalition backing the package.

Commissioners asked for details about how behavioral-health funds would be allocated and Mimi responded that allocations and county-level shares remain to be determined because the request is early in the budget season. She said the request is meant to help counties manage increased indigent-care burdens and transition costs created by prior federal and state changes.

The commission took no formal vote on the funding request at the meeting; Mimi will provide testimony at the scheduled Assembly subcommittee hearing.