Community

Action Required: Medi-Cal Renewal Process Is Underway Across California

Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal should keep an eye out for a yellow envelope in their mailbox over the next 14 months. The Medi-Cal eligibility of over 15.4 million Golden State residents is under review for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Published

1 month ago

April 28, 2023

Oakland Post

If a Medi-Cal beneficiary does receive the yellow envelope, they must provide their current contact information to health care officials as soon as possible to retain their Medi-Cal coverage, noted California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Assistant Deputy Director Yingjia Huang.

McKenzie Jackson
California Black Media

Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal should keep an eye out for a yellow envelope in their mailbox over the next 14 months.

The Medi-Cal eligibility of over 15.4 million Golden State residents is under review for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

“It is critical that they do it by the due date that is on the packet that will come,” she said. “If that is not completed by the due date, there is a possibility that you will lose your coverage from Medi-Cal.”

Huang was one of several speakers featured during an April 12 online media briefing held to notify Medi-Cal members of the health coverage eligibility check, which began on April 1. The media teleconference was organized by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services in partnership with DHCS.

Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid, the federal government-funded health insurance program. Administered in conjunction with states, Medicaid is designed for people with limited incomes. The insurance covers services such as dental care, prescriptions, and medical and preventive care.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, enacted in 2020, directed Medicaid programs nationally to keep everyone enrolled during the pandemic. The annual redetermination process was suspended due to the severity of the worldwide health emergency. However, federal agencies declared the emergency over last month. So now, 80 million Americans are in the process of having their Medicaid eligibility checked by their states’ health department.

According to DHCS figures, 1,066,215 African Americans in California have Medi-Cal. Over 2.6 million whites are enrolled in the program, as are 7.4 million Latinos. Over 2.8 million people who did not provide a race or ethnicity are insured by Medi-Cal and the number of Asian/Pacific Islanders enrolled is over 1.4 million. By ethnicity, people of American Indian/Alaskan Native descent account for the lowest number of enrollees at 55,851.

Children’s Partnership Executive Director Mayra Alvarez said during the online call that it is important for Medi-Cal eligible families to keep coverage.

“As we come out of this public health emergency, health insurance coverage and access to care is essential for everyone to be healthy and thrive,” she explained. “Particularly during this pandemic, which has also exacerbated mental health issues for children and youth across the state.”

Alvarez said most of Medi-Cal enrollees are people of color, and nearly 70% of the 5.7 million children that use the service are minorities.

“It is a lifeline for so many in our communities, and it’s a program that continues to be available for the millions enrolled,” she stated. “Even before the pandemic, long standing, structurally racist policies and practices have created an environment wherein families of color experience significantly greater degrees of instability. Instability in employment; instability in income; instability in housing. These economic and housing conditions actually heighten the risk of disruptions in health coverage and in doing so, eliminates the security that comes with having health insurance coverage.”

The packets inside the yellow envelopes Medi-Cal members will receive ask for personal information, including their current phone number, email address, and street address. Recipients must reply by the deadline, which is typically between 45 to 60 days after getting the packet in the mail. For example, packets mailed this month have a June 30 due date and packets sent in May must be returned by July 31. The Medi-Cal account holders can provide that info by mail, online, or by calling their county’s Medi-Cal office.

“The easiest way to actually do this is online,” Huang remarked.

Medi-Cal members all have different medical renewal months. Around 30% will be automatically renewed. Those people will get a letter in the mail acknowledging that.

Also, addressed during the briefing were the steps involved in redetermining a person’s eligibility and how to get information in 19 different languages.

Between two million to three million Californians will lose the health service, while others will become eligible for the first time.

Workers hired to jobs that provide health benefits and people who earn enough income to be shifted from the health coverage to Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, are among those predicted to lose Medi-Cal.

Huang said the switch from Medi-Cal to Covered California can be automatic.

“It all goes back to the member must have the most updated information with the county Medi-Cal office for that process to happen,” she said.

The Medi-Cal packets are sent to the last known address of beneficiaries. Recipients whose name, phone number, email address or mailing address have changed in the last three years need to update that information at Covered California, BenefitsCal, or My Benefits CalWIN.

Medi-Cal coverage, Alvarez said, can continue for everyone who is eligible.

“Now is the time to make sure we are taking the necessary steps to keep our coverage,” she noted. “This is especially important for people of color, who are more likely to rely on Medi-Cal for coverage and who are more likely to be at risk of losing that coverage.”

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Activism

Big Picture Living Day

Through their global network of nearly 300 schools, Big Picture Learning activates their core initiatives by encouraging 6 healthy habits of proper nutrition, movement, healthy relationships, managing stress, adequate sleep and avoiding substances of risks.

Published

3 days ago

June 2, 2023

Oakland Post

By Carla Thomas

On Friday, June 2 Big Picture Lving Day will be celebrated with a series of virtual events designed to improve the life of participants. Through a virtual network of schools and organizations the event will feature speakers on health, wellness, mindfulness, exercise, and overcoming challenges.

Participants will practice Yoga & Mindfulness with Dawn M. Rivers.

Dr. Marsha-Gail Davis will discuss lifestyle medicine and healthy practices, and BPL alumni former advisor Chef Bree reunites with former principal Danique “Dr. DD” Dolly and a few of their former students will discuss health and lifestyle changes.

Big Picture Learning Day was created by

Big Picture Learning, an organization of progressive learning concepts centered around the belief that all students can and should live lives of their own design, supported by caring mentors and equitable opportunities to achieve their greatest potential.

Co-founded by Elliott Washor a veteran educational leader in Rhode Island, BPL grew out of a passion for students and improving the concept of learning.

“We just had this fierce desire to evolve our educational system to one that puts students at the center of their own learning with mentors, time immersed in the community and not evaluated solely on standardized tests,” said Washor.

“The entire Big Picture Learning experience is personalized to each student’s interests, talents and needs beyond mere academic work and involves looking at each student holistically.”

Former BPL principal, Danique Dolly says, “There are youth and adults in schools and organizations throughout the nation practicing the 6 healthy habits and speaking up on it. People have created rooms and spaces that focus on relaxation and meditation. Many adults and youth are taking steps towards wellness, a total lifestyle change and health and wellness are a part of students learning goals just as English and math are.”

“With BPLiving Day we invite all to get up, get out and get living and to do something around health and wellness,” said Dolly.

For students Jasmine Poirier and Angel Feliz and educator Andrew Coburn BPL has been life changing.

“Through collaborative physical movement, nutrition education and eating healthy together and various group activities for relaxation and mental health support, many are finding ways to live healthier and happier,” said Colburn. “For Big Picture Living Day we’re celebrating lifelong healthy habits for teens and the communities around them. BPL Day is a celebration of all the progress we have made.”

“Whether it is in my school campus or through a zoom call with people all across the world, BPLiving has an ability to bring people together to share wellness habits with each other,” said Feliz.

“Through spreading the principles of BPLiving into the everyday academic learning of my peers, I have seen them improve the quality of their lives physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Poirier. “By reestablishing sports culture with school-wide volleyball and capture the flag tournaments, students have been able to connect with each other across different grade levels, become more physically active and take a break from our everyday learning.”

In Oakland at MetWest, a BPL school in Oakland, the garden is run by parents and students. The garden serves as the foundation for nutritional learning and generational collaboration.

Today, Big Picture Learning network schools can be found in over 80 schools in 28 states, and hundreds more around the world.

For more information visit BigPicture.org

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

Published

3 days ago

June 2, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

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Activism

Community Opposes High Rise Development That Threatens Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

City Council chambers were full for the May 17 Planning Commission hearing, and almost all the 40 speakers who had signed up to make presentations talked about the importance of the Inner Circle as part of Oakland and Geoffrey Pete as a stalwart community and business leader who has served the city for decades.

Published

7 days ago

May 30, 2023

Oakland Post

Geoffrey Pete went to City Hall to appeal the city Planning Commission’s approval of the high-rise development that threatens the closure of his 44-year historic cultural mecca. Photo by Jonathan ‘Fitness’ Jones.

By Ken Epstein

An outpouring of community supporters – young, old, jazz lovers, environmentalists and committed Oakland partisans – spoke out at a recent Planning Commission hearing to support Geoffrey Pete and his cultural center – The Inner Circle – an historic Oakland landmark whose future is threatened by a proposed skyscraper that out-of-town-developer Tidewater Capital wants to build in the midst of the city’s Black Arts Movement and Business District (BAMBD).

The speakers argued passionately and persuasively, winning the sympathy of the commissioners, but were ultimately unsuccessful as the Commission unanimously approved the high-rise to be built either as a residential building or office tower on Franklin Street directly behind Geoffrey’s building.

Mr. Pete has said he would appeal the decision to the City Council. He has 10 days after the hearing to file an appeal on the office building. His appeal on the residential tower has already been submitted.

Mr. Pete said the Planning Department still has not published the boundaries of the BAMBD. “Tidewater’s applications and subsequent applications should not be approved until the Planning Department fully acknowledges the existence of the BAMBD,” he said.

“This (proposed) building poses a grave danger to the historic (Inner Circle) building next to it, arguably Oakland’s most meaningful historic building,” Pete said.

“We’re here to advocate for what’s best for the African American district and community that has gotten no representation, no advocacy, as of yet,” he said. “The (commission) is guilty, the City of Oakland is guilty, and Tidewater is guilty.”

One of the first speakers was Gwendolyn Traylor, known as Lady SunRise, who directly addressed the developers.

“With all due to respect to your business, it’s not a need of this community. I would like to ask you to reconsider the location …What is being (promised) here does not add to the healing of this community,” she said.

Naomi Schiff of the Oakland Heritage Alliance emphasized that Geoffrey’s Inner Circle is a treasure of Oakland’s history.

“Our first concern is the integrity of the historic district, in particular the former Athenian-Nile Club, now Mr. Pete’s equally historic venue, which has been the location of a great number of important community events,” she said. “It would not be OK with us if the integrity of the building were damaged in any way, no matter how much insurance (the developer bought) because it is very difficult to repair a historic building once it’s damaged.”

The Inner Circle was previously owned and operated by the Athenian-Nile Club, one of the Bay Area’s largest all-white-male exclusive private membership club, where politicians and power brokers closed back-room deals over handshakes and three martini lunches.

Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson pointed out that commissioners and the city’s Planning Department have “acknowledged that you went through the entire design review process without even knowing that the Black Arts Movement and Business District existed.”

The district was created in 2016 by City Council resolution. “At the heart of the opposition to this building is the desire to further the legacy of local Black entertainment and entrepreneurship exemplified by businesses like Mr. Pete’s … a historical landmark and venue (that serves) thousands of people who listen to jazz and other entertainment and hold weddings, receptions, and memorial services,” said Uncle Bobby.

This development is taking place within a context in which the “Black population in Oakland has decreased rapidly … because of the city’s concentration on building houses that are not affordable for people who currently live in Oakland,” he said.

John Dalrymple of East Bay Residents for Responsible Development said, “This project will result in significant air quality, public health, noise, and traffic impacts. He said the city has not adequately studied the (unmitigated) impacts of this project on the Black Arts Movement and Business District.

“This project is an example of what developers are being allowed to do when they don’t have to follow the law, and they don’t have to be sensitive to our city’s culture and values,” he said. The commission should “send a signal today that we will no longer be a feeding ground for the rich.”

Prominent Oakland businessman Ray Bobbitt told commissioners, “Any decision that you make is a contribution to the systemic process that creates a disproportionate impact on Black people. Please do yourself a favor, (and) rethink this scenario. Give Mr. Pete, who is a leader in our community, an opportunity to set the framework before you make any decision.”

Though the City Council created the BAMBD, the 2016 resolution was never implemented. The district was created to “highlight, celebrate, preserve and support the contributions of Oakland’s Black artists and business owners and the corridor as a place central historically and currently to Oakland’s Black artists and Black-owned businesses.”

The district was intended to promote Black arts, political movements, enterprises, and culture in the area, and to bring in resources through grants and other funding.