Legislative Briefing: Children with Special Health Care Needs in California

An estimated one million California children and teens have a special health care need, and many of these children require multiple services from the state’s health care system. But compared to children in other states, California’s children with special health care needs (CSHCN) receive care that is less coordinated, less family-centered, and fails to meet many of the key quality indicators prescribed by the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health co-sponsored a briefing for California lawmakers regarding how the state health care system functions for CSHCN and their families. The briefing was sponsored by Assemblymember Richard Pan, MD, chair of the Assembly Health Committee.

Speaker Videos:

• Introduction, David Alexander, MD, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
• Prevalence and Demography of Children with Special Health Care Needs in California, Christina Bethell, PhD, Oregon Health and Science University
• State Programs: Who Is Covered and Who Isn’t, Bernardette Arellano, California Children’s Hospital Association
• Panelist: Emerging Issues for Child Health in California; Regionalization of pediatric subspecialty care, Paul Wise, MD, Panel Moderator, Stanford University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Children with Special Health Care Needs in Medi-Cal and the California Exchange, Margaret Comeau, MHA, The Catalyst Center
• Panelist: Essential health benefits and the pediatric benefits in the Exchange, Margaret McManus, MHS, National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health
• The Experience of Families Accessing Health Care in California, Juno Duenas, Family Voices of California
• Q & A, Richard Pan, MD, Chair, Health Committee, California State Assembly