​Gerald Kominski is the director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. In this brief interview, Kominski talks about ongoing threats to the Affordable Care Act, looks back at key health events this year, looks forward to policy issues that consumers face in 2016, and discusses the Center's holiday appeal.

Q: What were the biggest health policy successes this year?

T​wo things in particular made it a watershed year: In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of federal subsidies for qualifying people who want to buy health plans on the federal marketplace ― one of the pillars of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ― keeping health care more affordable for millions of Americans. In October, Governor Brown signed SB 4, which next year will extend full Medi-Cal benefits to undocumented immigrant children under age 19 in California.

Q: What are some of the biggest health policy issues we face next year?

​The Affordable Care Act has helped 17.6 million people across the country gain health coverage; but the law is still under attack, and we need to protect it. If anything, we need to expand the law. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 32 million nonelderly adults in the United States ― including millions of undocumented immigrants ― still lack access to the most basic preventive care.

Even people with health coverage face unexpected health barriers: "surprise" billing practices by hospitals and health providers, some overly narrow provider networks, skyrocketing prescription drug costs. There are still disparities in health care for those with coverage: In California, our research reports Medi-Cal recipients were sometimes refused care or had less access to care than those with employer-sponsored plans. Legislators, health insurers, doctors ― and patients themselves ― need to recognize and address these problems.

Health insurers exiting smaller ACA marketplace regions or leaving the program entirely is a continuing concern, as are legislators who are trying to dismantle Medicaid expansion in their states. We continue to make great strides in California, but health reform is an ongoing challenge.

Q: The Center just sent out an appeal for funding ― what will the funds do?

​Not many people know that the Center raises all its own money. So we need all the help we can get to continue our mission of providing evidence-based research that helps legislators, health advocates, academics and media identify, understand, explain and tackle the most critical health policy issues. Your support keeps the lights on, it powers our nationally-renowned survey, the California Health Interview Survey, it helps us to develop cutting-edge products like AskCHIS Neighborhood Edition, which enables you to look at health statistics in your ZIP code and legislative district. Our data and research are used throughout the state, nation and world to fight injustices and ensure that everyone has access to health care as a basic human right. I can’t think of too many other policy centers in the nation that match us both in the size of our impact and the scope of what we examine. Take a look at our milestones page or view our latest publication, CHIS Making an Impact ― 2015, to get a sense of how our work has been used to create change.

And join us. By donating to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, you're not just investing in an organization – you’re investing in the future of health.

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