Aspen Policy Academy

We’re pleased to release 4 new policy projects from our 6th Tech Executive Leadership Initiative (TELI) cohort, hosted in partnership with Tech Talent Project. The TELI leaders came together for 4 weeks of intensive policy training, culminating in creating real-world Medi-Cal service delivery solutions for the State of California and City and County of San Francisco. Read below to learn more about each of the TELI cohort’s innovative healthcare policy ideas:

Building a Volunteer Marketplace to Meet Medi-Cal Work Requirements 

By Ayzit Doydum, Ali Fauci, Christine Garofoli, Michael Joyce, Daniella Kim, and Kevin Mori 

San Francisco’s Human Services Agency (SFHSA) expects that 50,000 current California Medi-Cal clients could lose benefits if they fail to meet new community engagement requirements. This project recommends that SFHSA build an online “SFVolunteers” page on SF.gov, enabling Medi-Cal clients to find and report volunteer hours to meet the federal work minimums. This streamlined platform would not only eliminate administrative burden for clients and staff but also proactively safeguard against unnecessary loss of Medi-Cal coverage. 

Digitizing the JobsNOW! Intake Process for Medi-Cal Clients in San Francisco 

By Susie Forbath, Tim Lillis, Cedar Louis, Jud Neer, and Anthony Vasquez 

This project proposes that the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Innovation (MOI) implement a web form for clients joining San Francisco’s JobsNOW! employment program — an initiative matching low-income residents with work opportunities to maintain their Medi-Cal coverage. This web form would replace the current paper-based intake process and automatically integrate with the data system that supports all state public assistance programs. By digitizing the JobsNOW! process, the MOI could free up staff capacity for direct client support. 

Supporting Medi-Cal Recipients by Screening for Employment Eligibility in San Francisco 

By I-Chiang Chen, Melinda Bernardo Cuerda, Kate Fisher, Carolyn Rojsutivat, and Emanuel Schorsch 

This project recommends that the MOI and SFHSA pilot a digital screening tool for JobsNOW!. Thousands of additional Medi-Cal clients are expected to seek JobsNOW! support, straining the program’s intake process. The new screener would route clients into different support tiers to reduce time-consuming intake meetings and better serve clients across the full range of support needs. Expanding access with this digital tool could position the MOI’s service to scale and proactively prevent drops in coverage.

Data-Sharing to Increase Young Mothers’ Benefits Enrollment in Central California 

By Anna Banchik, Renata Bartlett, Nolan Green, Dorin Horsfall, Lee Howard, and Kash Sridhar 

Thousands of young mothers in California’s Central Valley are missing out on nutrition benefits for which they are eligible. This project recommends that the California Department of Health Care Services integrate nutrition benefits enrollment information directly into the case management systems used by clinics supporting these mothers. Displaying up-to-date enrollment information for the federal nutrition program “WIC,” California’s food assistance program “CalFresh,” and Medi-Cal in the same place would allow clinics to more efficiently connect mothers to benefits.