blog post Undocumented Immigrants and Health Care By Shannon McConville Dec 17, 2014 President Obama’s recent immigration order may result in access to insurance coverage and health care for undocumented immigrants in California.
blog post Immigrants and Health Insurance By Shannon McConville Nov 18, 2015 California has seen large declines in the uninsured rate among noncitizens—a group that includes an estimated 2.6 million people who legally reside in the state, as well as 2.7 million undocumented immigrants.
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.
Report The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon, Shannon McConville Mar 27, 2023 The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Californians gain health insurance over the past decade. In addition to improving access to care, the ACA has increased financial well-being. This analysis focuses on the significant contribution of publicly funded health coverage—particularly Medi-Cal—to family resources across the state.
blog post In First-in-Nation State Law, All Low-Income Residents Qualify for Medi-Cal By Paulette Cha, Patricia Malagon Jan 3, 2024 On January 1, California broadened Medi-Cal eligibility to include undocumented immigrants regardless of age, an expansion funded almost entirely with state dollars. What could this new policy mean for health care access in our state?
blog post Focus on Medi-Cal Funding By Shannon McConville Jul 17, 2015 Regardless of how the legislature addresses Med-Cal funding in the special session, the state faces the challenge of establishing a stable and sustainable state funding base for the program.
Report Health Care for California’s Jail Population By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird Jun 18, 2014 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created a new opportunity for California to reach and enroll a medically vulnerable population—the jail population—in health insurance coverage. While inmates receive health care services from county jail systems while incarcerated, few have coverage after they are released from custody. Expansion of the state’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) under the ACA has extended insurance eligibility to much of the currently uninsured jail population. As a complement to the ACA, California recently signed into law Assembly Bill 720 (AB 720), which facilitates the use of jails as sites of health insurance enrollment. Increasing enrollment levels for the jail population holds the potential to reduce corrections costs, as well as improve public health and safety.
blog post Video: Emergency Department Use in California By Mary Severance Apr 22, 2019 A recent PPIC event featured a new report, along with an expert panel, on how the expansion of health coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act has affected emergency department use in the state.
blog post Medi-Cal Expansion Has Reduced Financial Barriers to Needed Health Care By Paulette Cha Feb 17, 2022 Since the expansion of Medi-Cal under the federal Affordable Care Act, California families have been less likely to delay necessary care due to cost.
