This fall, with a grant from The Public Good Projects, FosterHope Sacramento has been sharing information about Enhanced Care Management (ECM), free extra support through Medi-Cal health insurance plans. At our table at the Harvest and Health Festival on October 17, we handed out flyers in English and Spanish and talked with people from the community. Here are the questions we heard most, with answers.
“Is it really free?”
Yes. ECM is a free benefit through Medi-Cal health insurance plans.
“Who can get it?”
ECM is for people with more complex health needs. Current and former foster youth up to age 26 may qualify, and so may people who are pregnant or were pregnant in the past 12 months and belong to certain groups. The health plan decides, and other requirements may apply.
“What does a care manager actually do?”
A care manager helps coordinate a person’s care, including medical, vision and mental health services. They can also connect people to community resources, and for foster youth they can help with things like job training or finding a safe, stable place to live. Foster youth can meet their care manager wherever is best for them, like a doctor’s office, a local park, or where they live.
“How do I start?”
Call the number on the back of the Medi-Cal health insurance card (for a foster child, the child’s card). The plan will ask a few questions and explain the next steps.
A quick checklist
• Have the Medi-Cal health insurance card ready
• Have a list of current doctors and a list of concerns handy
• Call the number on the back of the card and ask about Enhanced Care Management
Keep learning
You can find more at YourHealthYourCare.org Thank you to the families and partners who stopped by and shared their time with us.
Funding for this grant was made possible by Kaiser Permanente and Anthem Blue Cross through “Your Health Your Care”.