HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05202003 - C82 10: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ................. Contra
FROM: WILLIAM B. WALKER, M.D. Costa
Health Services Director ° "-
DATE: May 20, 2003 County
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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. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign 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, specifically the 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 reproeure the Local Initiative contract in Contra Costa County
could severely threaten the very existence of CCHP and potentially subject tens of thousands
of members to disruptions in care, and compromise this county's relationships with hundreds
of safety net providers in the community.
The Board and the Managed Care Commission (MCC), public advisory board to CCHP,
approved the previous request for sole source exemption in June of 2001. Due to time
constraints, the MCC will be taking action to communicate their continued support for a sole
source contract exemption at their May 21, 2003 meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The reprocurement of the Local Initiative contract would have a substantial impact on the
2003-2004 and 2004-2005 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: _YES SIG �TUF: w
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--k,-'RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF B ARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
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ACTION OF BO D N May 20„ 2003 APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED -X OTHER
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VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT I ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE
AYES: NOES: SHOWN.
ABSENT: ABSTAIN:
**District III Seat VACANT** ATTESTED May 20, 2003
CONTACT: JOHN SWEETEN,CLERK OF THE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
CC:
BY i ,DEPUTY
(�'`�► John sweeten
The Beard of Supervisors Contra Clerk of the Board
and
County Administration BuildingCSS-La County Administrator
651 Pine Street, Room 106 v (925)335-1900
Martinez, California 945531293 County
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John Gioia,1st District Ltl tL�/
Gayle B.Utikerria,2nd District "-
[Senna Gertner,3rd District
Mark DeSaulnier,4th District 1'
Federal D.Glover,5th District ° May 20, 2003
Mr. H. Stephen Deering
Deputy Regional Administrator
Health Care Financing Administration
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.
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 severe budget crisis in this state. 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(CMS)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 CMS to grant the waiver that the State of California is requesting.
For these reasons, our Board asks that CMS approve the California Department of Health
Services' 1915(b)waiver request for a sole source contract exemption for county-
sponsored Local Initiatives.
Sincerely,
Marr. eSaulnier, Chair
Contra Costa County.Board of Supervisors
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