To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Health Services Basic Healthcare Update
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
CONSIDER accepting the report on the Basic Health Care Program; CONSIDER approving the recommended changes to the Basic Health Care Program; and DIRECT the Health Services Director to amend eligibility requirements and standards for the Basic Health Care program established by Resolution No. 2002-312.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Basic Health Care (BHC) Program is a county-funded program providing care at Contra Costa Health (CCH) facilities. At a projected enrollment of 6,000 patients, the Basic Health Care (BHC) program would cost approximately $13.5 million annually. Of this amount, $7.5 million reflects services Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) already provides and therefore does not require additional funding. The remaining $6.0 million represents the estimated annual funding required to support program operations and services.
BACKGROUND:
The Basic Health Care Program originated in 1982 as the Basic Adult Care Program, created in response to the State of California's elimination of the Medi-Cal Medically Indigent Adult Program.
In 2002, the program was renamed the Basic Health Care (BHC) Program and restructured to provide health care services to uninsured Contra Costa County residents who lacked access to other coverage options.
In 2009, the County amended BHC eligibility requirements to include a legal permanent residency requirement, thereby excluding undocumented residents from program participation.
From 2015 through 2023, the Contra Costa CARES Program provided primary care services to uninsured immigrant adults through community clinics. Following California's 2024 expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal eligibility, CARES was discontinued. The program's final evaluation identified a continuing need for health care access options for uninsured resi...
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