Last week, Milne Legal submitted comments on the California Department of Health Care Services’ draft guidance implementing the traditional health care practices benefit for Medi-Cal enrollees who are eligible to receive services for treatment of substance use disorder through DMC-ODS programs administered by participating counties. California has become one of the first states to provide coverage for traditional health care practices, and the decision to provide coverage for these services represents an historic event in the development of the Medicaid program generally.
In addition to providing comments of a technical nature, we took the opportunity to advocate for broader coverage for traditional health care practices in the Medi-Cal program and to raise awareness of the rights of Indian Health Care Providers under federal law that promote Indian Health Care Providers’ full an equitable participation in Medicaid and other federal health programs.