event Expanding Health Insurance Coverage in California: County Jails as Enrollment Sites May 11, 2016 About the ProgramHealth 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 Video: Health Coverage and Care for Undocumented Immigrants in California By Stephanie Barton Jun 30, 2021 PPIC researcher Paulette Cha discusses a new report on the ways that undocumented immigrants connect with the health care system and implications for public policy.
blog post Reviving the Health Care Mandate: Who Pays? By Radhika Mehlotra, Shannon McConville Mar 5, 2019 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 May 10, 2016 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 Expanding Health Care Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants By Shannon McConville Apr 4, 2018 California lawmakers are supporting incremental policy measures to expand health care coverage to all income-eligible residents, regardless of immigration status.
blog post Counties Are Key Partners in the Medi-Cal Program By Shannon McConville Feb 8, 2024 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 Nov 10, 2020 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.