The federal government has approved a pilot program called "Cal MediConnect," which will be available to people in eight counties who are covered by both Medi-Cal and Medicare. Those counties are Alameda, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo and Santa Clara.

State officials say the new program will offer more coordinated services for the high needs and high cost consumers of health care. 

California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley says eventually the initiative could be extended statewide to more than one million Californians.

DOOLEY: "As we get to a point where it is clear that the demonstration is successful and it will provide benefit to more people in California, we will proceed to extend that benefit to as many people as possible."