​This policy brief highlights findings from a study that examined the availability of selected health care services for women in managed care settings in California. These services are health promotion, disease prevention, mental health, and substance abuse services — all areas of need that emerged from focus groups conducted with low-income women in 1997.

The study is based on findings from a written questionnaire survey conducted in 1997 with 27 licensed commercial managed care plans in California and 12 Medi-Cal managed care systems (local initiatives and county organized health systems, referred to as LIs/COHS in this brief). In addition, structured interviews were conducted with 25 health care providers in the sampled commercial managed care plans. Information from the provider interviews is not representative of all providers, but rather illustrative of the interviewed providers’ experiences, which can help to identify themes in practice settings.