California Health Policy Strategies, LLC
California Health Policy Strategies, LLC (CalHPS), is a Sacramento-based consulting firm with a deep commitment to policies that will improve California’s health care system.
WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA HEALTH POLICY STRATEGIES, LLC
California Health Policy Strategies, LLC (CalHPS), is a Sacramento-based consulting firm with a deep commitment to policies that will improve California’s health care system. Founded and led by David Panush, a veteran State Capitol staffer and former External Affairs Director for Covered California, CalHPS brings together an extraordinary team of experienced health policy and government practitioners. The CalHPS team is grounded in the practical world of how to make change and get things done. With a keen understanding of the Legislature, state and local government, and the public and private health care marketplace, CalHPS can offer insights and guidance to policy-makers and stakeholders who are trying to make a difference. Our team offers policy expertise in the following areas:
Medi-Cal and CalAIM
Behavioral Health Care Policy
Covered California
Health Insurance Regulation
Medicare
Managed Care & Value Based Purchasing
State and Local Health Care Systems
County Health & Social Service Integration
Information Technology Systems
Our Services
Latest News & Reports
Opinion: The problem is clear: Medi-Cal is failing to protect children’s eyesight
In a California classroom today, a teacher is writing a math equation on a whiteboard. Later, he or she will display assignment instructions on a projection screen before asking students...
Read MoreFor California Democrats, single-payer health care is back. Voters have heard it before
California Democratic candidates for governor can’t stop talking about single-payer health care — again. The idea of a government-run universal health care program that would replace private insurance as the...
Read MorePolicy Brief: Effect of H.R. 1 on California’s Distressed Hospitals
Reviews the impact of H.R. 1’s Medicaid cuts in the context of California’s program to assist fiscally distressed hospitals.
Read MorePolicy Brief: New CMS Guidance on Medicaid for Non-Citizens: Medicaid Manage Care Payments and Emergency Medicaid
January 2026 – Analysis on CMS September 2025 guidance on how medicaid funds can be used for non-citizens. Significant implications for Medi-Cal managed care plans and emergency Medi-Cal reimbursement.
Read MoreSubstance Use Disorders (SUD) in California Hospital-Based Encounters: Emergency Department and Inpatient Trends (2020–2022)
January 2026 – This data brief examines California hospital utilization related to substance use from 2020–2022, drawing on encounter-level data reported by the Department of Health Care Access and Information....
Read MorePolicy Brief: Access to Medication Assisted Substance Use Treatment by Medi-Cal Beneficiaries
January 2026 This paper estimates the share of Medi-Cal adults in each county who were at risk of opioid misuse in 2022 and compares that with counts of adults receiving forms of MAT prescribed for their condition.
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