California Department of Health Care Services

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is a department within the California Health and Human Services Agency that finances and administers a number of individual health care service delivery programs, including Medi-Cal, which provides health care services to low-income people. It was formerly known as the California Department of Health Services, which was reorganized in 2007 into the DHCS and the California Department of Public Health.^[1] On September 10, 2019, DHCS Director Jennifer Kent announced her resignation, effective September 30, 2019.^[2] On September 25, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Richard Figueroa, Jr. as Acting Director.^[3] Will Lightbourne was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom and began serving as Director on June 16, 2020.^[4] Subsequently, Michelle Baass was appointed Director of DHCS by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 10, 2021, replacing the outgoing Will Lightbourne.^[5]

California Department of Health Care Services

Agency overview
Jurisdiction	California
Headquarters	Sacramento, California
Annual budget	US$ 100 billion (2021-22)
Agency executive	Michelle Baass, Director (effective September 10, 2021)
Parent agency	California Health and Human Services Agency
Website	www.dhcs.ca.gov

Operations

A building occupied by the California Department of Health Care Services.

A December 2014 audit of the DHCS's Medi-Cal dental care program (Denti-Cal) by the California State Auditor reported that:

• "Information shortcomings and ineffective actions" by DHCS are putting child beneficiaries at higher risk of dental disease.
• Only 43.9 percent of children enrolled in Denti-Cal had seen a dentist the previous year – the 12th worst among states that submitted data.
• Reimbursement rates for the 10 most common dental procedures were 35 percent of the national average – and haven’t risen since the 2000-2001 budget year.
• Eleven California counties had no Denti-Cal providers or no providers willing to accept new child patients covered by Denti-Cal: Del Norte, Tehama, Yuba, Sierra, Nevada, Amador, Calaveras, Alpine, Mariposa, Mono and Inyo counties.
• California might not have enough Denti-Cal-participating dentists to handle millions of new Denti-Cal beneficiaries as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
• DHCS had not adequately overseen its Denti-Cal administrative contractor, which had not "performed contract-required outreach for improving dental access in underserved areas."^[6]
  • With 13 million children and adults enrolled, Denti-Cal is the largest state-sponsored dental insurance program
  • Private contractor that administers Denti-Cal is Delta Dental. In 2016, the State of California awarded Delta Dental a new contract to provide administrative services for the Denti-Cal program, continuing the 42-year relationship^[7]

Controversies

• Medi-Cal Dental paid to the doctors only 30% of what commercial insurers paid for the same procedures per October 2017 report; even though DHCS must annually review reimbursement levels for Medi-Cal dental services to ensure “reasonable access” for Medi-Cal beneficiaries pursuant to Welfare & Institutions Code §14079 ^[8]
• In San Francisco, 61,440 children were enrolled in Denti-Cal as of 2016,^[8] but only three pediatric dentists were accepting new patients as of Mar 2018;^[9] similarly, there were only 15 dentists that accepted new clients for 173,000+ adult patients