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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 06262001 - C.134 C. •%3y TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS '� -s .... L Contra FROM: WILLIAM B. WALKER, M.D. Health Services Director rll;rn. ",;s Costa DATE: .June 20, 2001 °°sra Kc `� County SUBJECT: Contra Costa County Local Initiative Sole Source Exemption SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Approve and authorize the Health Services Director, or his designee, to actively pursue and recommend approval of a sole source contract exemption (California's 1915(b) waiver request) with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (formerly the federal Health Care Financing Administration) for county sponsored Medi-Cal Local Initiatives such as the Contra Costa Health Plan. The Board of Supervisors is to.provide a letter in support of the exemption to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. BACKGROUND: The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County has continually maintained and supported the efforts of the Health Services Department's Contra Costa Health Plan in its endeavors to provide quality, cost-effective care to the Medi-Cal beneficiaries of this county. The Board recognizes that to reprocure the Local Initiative contract in Contra Costa County could severely threaten CCHP and potentially subject tens of thousands of members to disruptions in care, and compromise this county's relationships with hundreds of health care providers in the community. The Managed Care Commission, advisory board to CCHP, has considered this matter and voted to communicate to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services their full support for a sole source contract exemption. The MCC further recommends the Board of Supervisors communicate to the appropriate federal and state officials their support for the Contra Costa Health Plan continuing as the Local Initiative for Contra Costa County. FISCAL IMPACT: The reprocurement of the Local Initiative contract would have a substantial impact on the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 fiscal budgets. Avoidance of this administrative burden would allow the Health Services Department to concentrate its funding on providing quality health care to our community. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: DYES SIGNATURE: ' -------- - - - - -------------------------------= ---- - - --w�- - m ---------� . D. RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ----------------------------------------�------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- ACTION OF BOARD ON , ,-A APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED OTHER- VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN L UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE AYES: NOES: SHOWN. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTEDL142 CONTACT: JOHN SWEETEN,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CC: BY ��_�--_OEPUTY June 26, 2001 Mr. H. Stephen Deering Deputy Regional Administrator Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services 75 Hawthorne Street, Suite 408 San Francisco, CA 94105 RE: Federal Waiver for Sole Source Medi-Cal Managed Care Contracts Dear Mr. Deering: The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors supports the State of California's 1915(b) waiver request to grant sole source contract exemption for county government-sponsored Local Initiatives in California. More specifically, the California Department of Health Services is requesting in its waiver to the federal government, a non-competitive procurement of the Medi-Cal Managed Care contracts for Local Initiatives, including Contra Costa County's Local Initiative, the Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP). The State is seeking this waiver to protect California counties' substantial investment of effort and money in creating and expanding local managed care infrastructures. To now require the state to reprocure the Local Initiative contract in Contra Costa County could severely threaten the very existence of CCHP and potentially subject tens of thousands of Medi-Cal, Healthy Family, and medically indigent families to potential disruptions in care and services, along with potential changes in:long-standing relationships with healthcare providers. This proposed re-procurement would most assuredly place a new and possibly huge financial burden on our county, which is already struggling to cope with a softening economy and the unanticipated financial impact of the energy crisis. Our already overburdened public health care system in,Contra Costa County must not be placed in further jeopardy. Federal regulations allow the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (formerly the federal Health Care Financing Administration) to exempt public entities from competitive bid practices. In. the past, waivers have been granted for county organized health systems, county mental health departments and Local Initiatives. Given the large investment in infi-astructure, the positive impact these initiatives have had on the health of Medi-Cal, uninsured and underinsured populations, and the potential disruptions in care caused by re-procuring these services, it is appropriate for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services to grant the waiver that the State of California is requesting. June 26, 2001 Mr. H. Stephen Deering Deputy Regional Administrator Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services 75 Hawthorne Street, Suite 408 San Francisco, CA 94105 RE: Federal Waiver for Sole Source Medi-Cal Managed Care Contracts Dear Mr. Deering: The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors supports the State of California's 1915(b) waiver request to grant sole source contract exemption for county government-sponsored Local Initiatives in California. More specifically, the California Department of Health Services is requesting in its waiver to the federal government, a non-competitive procurement of the Medi-Cal Managed Care contracts for Local Initiatives, including Contra Costa County's Local Initiative, the Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP). The State is seeking this waiver to protect California counties' substantial investment of effort and money in creating and expanding local managed care infrastructures. To now require the state to reprocure the Local Initiative contract in Contra Costa County could severely threaten the very existence of CCHP and potentially subject tens of thousands of Medi-Cal, Healthy Family, and medically indigent families to potential disruptions in care and services, along with potential changes in long-standing relationships with healthcare providers. This proposed re-procurement would most assuredly place a new and possibly huge financial burden on our county, which is already struggling to cope with a softening economy and the unanticipated financial impact of the energy crisis. Our already overburdened public health care system in Contra Costa County must not be placed in further jeopardy. Federal regulations allow the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (formerly the federal Health Care Financing Administration) to exempt public entities from competitive bid practices. In the past, waivers have been granted for county organized health systems, county mental health departments and Local Initiatives. Given the large investment in infrastructure, the positive impact these initiatives have had on the health of Medi-Cal, uninsured and underinsured populations, and the potential disruptions in care caused by re-procuring these services, it is appropriate for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services to grant the waiver that the State of California is requesting. r For these reasons, our Board asks that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services approve the California Department of Health Services' 1915(b) waiver request for a sole source contract exemption for county-sponsored Local Initiatives. Sincerely, Gayle B. Uilkema, Chair Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors t1s:cchpntm1\bos1915bltr.doc cc: William B. Walker, M.D., Contra Costa County Health Services Director Milt Camhi, CEO, Contra Costa Health Plan CCHP Managed Care Commission CCHP Joint Conference Committee For these reasons, our Board asks that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services approve the California Department of Health Services' 1915(b) waiver request for a sole source contract exemption for county-sponsored Local Initiatives. Sincerely, q— Gayle B. Uilkema, Chair Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors t1s:cchpntm1\bos 1915bltr.doc cc: William B. Walker, M.D., Contra Costa County Health Services Director Milt Camhi, CEO, Contra Costa Health Plan CCHP Managed Care Commission CCHP Joint Conference Committee