Judge in Medi-Cal case moves reimbursement date forward

SAN FRANCISCO A judge in the United States District Court of Los Angeles has moved the date from which California’s Medicaid program must reimburse healthcare professionals forward.

In overturning 10 percent cuts to the Medi-Cal program that state lawmakers approved in February, Christina Snyder originally ordered the program to retroactively reimburse healthcare professionals from July 1.

Attorneys for the program, however, argued that the Constitution protects states from paying retroactive damages, so Snyder ordered Medi-Cal to make reimbursements onward from Aug. 18, when she made her original ruling.