As California moves ahead to implement the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), the next few years promise to be an intense period full of major milestones and formidable challenges.

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), in partnership with The California Endowment (TCE), hosted a Sacramento briefing designed for legislative staff and others interested in understanding the fundamentals of health policy in the Golden State.

The session covered how the state’s health care markets are organized and care is delivered; a basic overview of California’s public programs, including Medi-Cal; the core concepts behind the ACA; and how factors other than medical care, such as economic and social conditions, influence health.

Presenters were:

• Dr. George Flores, program manager, TCE
• Robbin Gaines, senior program officer, Market and Policy Monitor, CHCF
• Chris Perrone, deputy director, Health Reform and Public Programs, CHCF
• Sandra Shewry, director, State Health Policy, CHCF
• Catherine Teare, senior program officer, Health Reform and Public Programs, CHCF

A video of the event is in two parts below, and the presentation slides are available under Document Downloads.