Feds Approve California’s Medi-Cal Addiction Treatment Waiver

On August 14, 2015, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) had approved the state’s Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) waiver. California is the first state in the nation to receive federal approval of an ODS waiver. Through the waiver, DHCS will establish regional continuums of care for Medicaid addiction treatment to provide services not typically covered by Medicaid, ranging from early intervention, intensive outpatient, to residential treatment. Historically, California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) covered residential treatment only for pregnant or postpartum women in . . .