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Alameda County ramps coordinated outreach as HR 1 and the governor’s budget threaten Medi‑Cal access
Summary
County health and social services officials told supervisors they are coordinating a sustained outreach effort — including Measure W funding and a seven‑agency Health Navigators network — to retain Medi‑Cal coverage for residents at risk under HR 1 and the governor’s budget proposals.
Annika Choudhury, interim director for Alameda County Health, told the Board’s joint Social Services and Health Committee on Jan. 12 that the county is building a "backbone" coordination structure with the Social Services Agency and safety‑net partners to prepare for phased changes under federal HR 1 and the state budget.
Choudhury said the county’s immediate priorities are outreach and enrollment retention: “the more we can prioritize Medi Cal outreach and engagement and enrollment retention, the better.” She outlined Measure W spending of $2,500,000 to fund a year‑long public information campaign and partnerships with community‑based organizations to reach priority populations.
Staff described multiple outreach tactics implemented late last year — multilingual bus shelter and radio ads, targeted postcards, and a text campaign — and said they are finalizing an MOU to share data across agencies so enrollment assistants can refer people between the Health Navigators project and SSA eligibility workers. The Health Navigators partner list includes Alameda Health Consortium, East Bay Agency for Children, Eden I&R/2‑1‑1, Family Bridges, Maru (formerly Korean Community Center of the East Bay), La Familia, and Roots Community Health Center; county staff also pointed to healthyac.org as a public portal for materials and a map of CBO sites.
Public health and SSA staff stressed that many details remain contingent on state and federal guidance. Juan Matanea of the Social Services Agency reviewed recent policy changes: an enrollment freeze for new adult enrollments with unsatisfactory immigration status that took effect Jan. 1, reductions to dental coverage for many of those adults effective July 1, and a proposed redefinition of "qualified non‑citizens" in October that would exclude some groups currently eligible for full‑scope Medi‑Cal. County staff said they are tracking roll‑off and reenrollment data monthly and will return with more precise metrics in March and again during the May budget process.
Clinical and provider partners said the outreach is essential but will not eliminate funding pressures. Andy Martinez Patterson, CEO of Alameda Health Consortium, told the committee that the county’s FQHC network faces large reimbursement losses and said coordination is the only way to preserve care for patients. Matt Woodruff of Alameda Alliance for Health said preliminary county data show about 407,000 Medi‑Cal members today and that state projections — if all federal and state changes proceed — could reduce that number to roughly 240,000 by 2028, a drop he characterized as “daunting.”
Choudhury and SSA leaders recommended a sustained, coordinated campaign to maximize renewals and enrollment now so as many residents as possible retain coverage ahead of later implementation deadlines. They committed to monthly monitoring reports to the joint committee and to return with more detailed budget and metric information in March and during the May revise.
The committee did not take any votes. The joint briefing is expected to continue with monthly updates as staff refine enrollment and fiscal projections.
