Free Forum to Focus on Medi-Cal Changes

In an effort to answer questions about coming changes in California’s Medi-Cal program, a community forum will be held later this month in Van Nuys, organizers have announced.

Sponsored by L.A. Care Health Plan and the Asian & Pacific Islander Council of the San Fernando Valley, the 90-minute meeting is aimed at medical providers, community advocates and Medi-Cal beneficiaries, said Keith Malone, spokesman for L.A. Care.

Between now and the end of 1997, the state plans to transfer more than 3 million of California’s 5.5 million Medi-Cal recipients into HMOs, part of Gov. Pete Wilson’s sweeping effort to overhaul health-care delivery and financing. Wilson has characterized the plan as a way to stabilize rising costs and to improve access to health care for the poor.

In Los Angeles County, approximately 1.2 million people receive Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance for low income individuals. Malone said that many of the county residents affected by the switch are those who receive assistance under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program.

The forum is free and open to the public, Malone said. It will be held Aug. 28 beginning at 6 p.m. in the first-floor conference room of United Way’s Van Nuys office at 6851 Lennox Ave.

For more information, call (213) 251-8300, Ext. 199.