AB 2348 revises Medi-Cal enhanced care management implementation
Oct 4, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0250 · Published 2026-10-04 · Version 2 · Final
AB 2348 adds Medi-Cal ECM and community-support reporting, guidance and provider-education requirements while preserving conditional program scope.
What happened
California approved and filed AB 2348 on September 27. The amended ECM and community-support provisions add public quarterly utilization, population and demographic reporting to the extent feasible, alongside annual reporting using statistically reliable data; the quarterly provisions become inoperative January 1, 2032. The text preserves ECM eligibility within applicable managed care contracts and the limits on duplicative high-intensity or targeted case management. It also retains the structure under which plans may elect DHCS-approved, cost-effective and medically appropriate community supports in lieu of covered services, without forcing a member to use a support or supplanting benefits outside the plan’s responsibility.
DHCS must maintain sufficiently detailed community-support policy guides and all-plan letters, and plans must adopt consistent policies and educate in-network support providers on requirements. The standard policy-update process calls for at least two weeks of public input, release of written changes at least six months before effectiveness, and January 1 or July 1 effective dates. DHCS may make an exception to ensure effective delivery but must notify stakeholders and give a rationale. By March 31, 2029, DHCS must provide legislative information to inform possible transition of supports into required benefits. That future evaluation is not itself a universal benefit mandate. As of October 4, teams should prepare for the enacted changes and confirm commencement and DHCS instructions.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Potentially applicable
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks, Health-tech
- Jurisdiction
- California
- Affected functions
- Case Management, Managed Care, Compliance
- Responsible owner
- Case Management
Why it matters
Care-management delivery depends on consistent plan policies, provider training and reporting while preserving member choice and the program’s eligibility and benefit boundaries.
Recommended action
Compare current ECM and support policies, training and data flows with the enacted provisions. Track DHCS guidance updates, public-input periods and any justified exceptions before changing coverage.
Implementation playbook
- Confirm affected members, benefits and contracts against the final statutory scope. Case Management · Due 2026-10-18
- Map existing ECM and community support workflows to the final provisions and subsequent DHCS instructions; validate training and plan reporting responsibilities. Managed Care · Due 2026-11-15
- Validate updated workflows, communicate changes and monitor implementing guidance. Compliance · Due 2026-12-15
Sources
- AB2348 enacted final textOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-09-27 · Source review 2026-10-05
Complete edition and supplemental material
This finding in the complete approved report →Regulatory horizons, CIA trends and implementation trackers remain in the full report.
Read the entire Medicare & Medicaid report →