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HealthTech for Medicaid urges Alameda County to leverage CalAIM, focus on justice-involved and underrepresented founders
Summary
Adameka Arthur of HealthTech for Medicaid told the Alameda County Health Committee that CalAIM and recent Medi‑Cal changes offer opportunities to expand services (including for justice‑involved individuals) and urged the county to help underrepresented technology founders access Medicaid markets and funding.
Adameka Arthur, founder of the nonprofit HealthTech for Medicaid, told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Health Committee that her organization works to accelerate innovation that benefits Medicaid enrollees and urged Alameda County to take advantage of state-level reforms under CalAIM to expand services for high-cost and justice-involved populations.
Arthur said the organization focuses on equitable design and building pipelines for underrepresented founders, and noted large enrollment numbers—nationally and in California—while emphasizing local opportunity: “We spend a great deal of time making sure that products, services, delivery systems, and capital markets are geared towards a narrative change to help individuals on Medicaid themselves,” she said.
Arthur described state Medi‑Cal changes that could affect Alameda County, including asset-limit removal for eligibility, broader managed‑care shifts and targeted CalAIM initiatives. She highlighted the county’s potential to use CalAIM resources for housing, behavioral health and social‑determinants interventions that could reduce costs for high-need populations.
County health director Coleen Chawla described local planning underway for a prerelease initiative for justice-involved individuals: the county has convened planning led by Scott Coffin, who is under contract with the sheriff’s office to assist prerelease planning. Chawla emphasized CalAIM is being phased in and that not all components are mandatory now; planning is intended to prepare the county for required and optional elements.
Committee members asked whether HealthTech for Medicaid had concrete local partnerships; Arthur said the nonprofit has engaged Alameda Alliance and other statewide plans but has had limited traction locally amid transitions at Alameda Alliance. County staff said they have been holding intensive multi‑hour planning sessions with providers, including the Alliance and Kaiser, to align on CalAIM implementation.
Arthur urged the county to prioritize equitable contracting and workforce opportunities for Medicaid beneficiaries and underrepresented entrepreneurs so that local communities both benefit from and participate in innovation. The presentation concluded with committee members expressing interest in continuing partnerships and maximizing available CalAIM resources for Alameda County.
