Speaking Out...What Beneficiaries Say about the Medi-Cal Program
A report based on research by Lake Snell Perry & Associates and Dr. Robert Valdez of UCLA
March 2000
In the 1990s, the Medi-Cal program accounted for more than $23 billion in annual expenditures and provided health coverage for approximately one in six Californians. Many mechanisms were in place to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the program, but one critical perspective was missing: There had been little information about how Medi-Cal beneficiaries viewed the program. In 1999, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) commissioned the first-ever statewide survey of Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Understanding beneficiaries' perceptions is crucial to measuring and improving the program’s effectiveness. When it comes to their health care, beneficiaries make decisions -- such as whether to enroll in Medi-Cal and whether to stay enrolled -- based on choices and preferences. These decisions ultimately have a profound impact on the Medi-Cal program’s effectiveness and costs.
CHCF commissioned Lake Snell Perry & Associates, in conjunction with Dr. Robert Valdez of the UCLA School of Public Health, to conduct a statewide survey of 2,402 present and former Medi-Cal recipients. Research was conducted from August through September of 1999 in both English and Spanish.
Readers will gain insight into the experiences of those who were enrolled in Medi-Cal in the late 1990s and those who have since left the system. The report provides details on beneficiaries’ perceptions about the program itself, barriers to enrollment and receiving care, the quality of health care received, and areas that need improvement.
The summary findings and the full report can be found under Document Downloads below.