UCLA report shows California's unique position to enact health care reform
In this report, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research takes a deeper look at California's historic health coverage gains after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in 2010 and expanded in 2014. Using 2015-16 California Health Interview Survey data, the State of Health Insurance in California report illuminates how creating a government-run private health insurance marketplace and expanding Medi-Cal to cover more people who were underinsured and uninsured changed the health access landscape — nearly 4.2 million more Californians gained insurance from the Medi-Cal expansion alone between 2012 and 2016.
However, the report notes that while significant gains were made overall, access to care was uneven among different populations, such as those who were privately vs. publicly insured; those who were citizens vs. noncitizens; and residents in urban vs rural areas.
The report highlights data at the peak of the ACA, before federal efforts to scale back expansions. It also outlines new details comparing Medicare coverage to Medicaid and job-based coverage. With many segments of the population remaining uninsured, these insights may inform recent election-driven discussions to expand care via public modes such as Medicare.
“Despite ongoing challenges, California has charted a bold course to stabilize and expand the ACA. We are poised to achieve universal coverage with new laws now in effect that expand Medi-Cal and other options to protect coverage even further,” said Shana Alex Charles, Center faculty associate and lead author of the study. “California is a model for the rest of the nation in expanding coverage, but we still have more work to do in addressing underinsurance and access to care.”
About the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. For more information, visit healthpolicy.ucla.edu.
