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Expanding Health Insurance Coverage in California: County Jails as Enrollment Sites

About the Program
Health coverage rates in California have increased significantly under the Affordable Care Act. But millions remain uninsured, and traditional enrollment strategies might not reach these residents. Given the characteristics—and size—of California's jail population, along with recent policy changes, county jails could be promising sites for enrollment. PPIC researcher Shannon McConville will outline a new report on expanding health coverage through the jail system.

This research was supported with funding from The California Wellness Foundation.

blog post

Reviving the Health Care Mandate: Who Pays?

By Radhika Mehlotra, Shannon McConville

As policymakers in California weigh implementing a state individual mandate, it's worth considering which Californians would bear the burden of the tax penalty and which would benefit.

Report

Expanding Health Coverage in California: County Jails as Enrollment Sites

By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird

In 2014, the first year of Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, the number of Californians with health insurance increased substantially. However, millions of state residents continue to lack comprehensive health coverage, and those who remain uninsured are likely more difficult to enroll through traditional strategies.

In this report, we find that uninsured rates are highest for young men and for those with low levels of education, income, and employment. The prevalence of these same characteristics among correctional populations suggests that the justice system—and, in particular, county jails—may offer points of contact for many uninsured individuals who would otherwise be hard to reach.

Outreach and enrollment efforts aimed at local jail populations are set within the policy context of California’s 2011 Public Safety Realignment, which created incentives and resources for local corrections agencies to improve reentry outcomes. With expansions in access to health insurance coverage under the ACA, nearly all counties are establishing programs to provide enrollment assistance to jail inmates as part of a more comprehensive reentry strategy. But resources and capacity are limited, so it is important to identify effective models to maximize the potential of county correctional systems as sites of insurance enrollment.

blog post

Counties Are Key Partners in the Medi-Cal Program

By Shannon McConville

County governments play an important role in administering Medi-Cal and organizing and delivering health services. We look at how counties' Medi-Cal responsibilities—as well as the resources available to carry them out—have shifted over the past decade, a period that has seen the state significantly expand program eligibility.

blog post

How Might the Supreme Court ACA Case Affect California?

By Shannon McConville

The US Supreme Court today heard a case challenging a key provision of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). A ruling that invalidates the ACA—or parts of it—could have far-reaching consequences for our state.

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