Since December 2010, Californians have been able to use a self-service, online application for Healthy Families and Medi-Cal for Families. Health-e-App Public Access offers faster, more convenient access to public insurance.

Medi-Cal is the main source of health insurance for one in five Californians. This report provides an overview of the program's key features, describes how the program is evolving, and examines the challenges ahead.

In 2008, Oregon held a lottery to expand its Medicaid program. Research finds the first two years of coverage increased individuals' health care access and use, lowered out-of-pocket costs and medical debt, and improved mental health, but did not improve health in other areas.

Health-e-App is a web-based application for enrolling low-income children and pregnant women in public health insurance programs in California. Watch a video on Health-e-App's benefits and read evaluations of its self-service, public-access version.

By making palliative care available to patients earlier in their illnesses, private health plans are providing better care that also costs less. Learn about six pioneers in California.

California workers are getting squeezed by fewer employers offering health care coverage while premiums and cost-sharing rise. See results from the employer survey.

California's health care safety net is a complex web of programs and providers that serve low-income, uninsured residents. See a snapshot before health reform takes full effect.

Consumer-directed health plans are designed to spur comparison shopping for care. A study finds no evidence this is occurring, likely because consumers lack needed information.

Private health insurers covered two-thirds of all Californians and brought in $111 billion in revenue in 2011. This report takes a performance baseline ahead of the ACA influences on the marketplace.

More than two-thirds of Californians get their health insurance through private carriers. This infographic shows how the largest plans stack up in terms of enrollment and revenue.

Learn about the preliminary findings from a survey examining the transition experiences of beneficiaries, specifically the notification process and choice of health plan, continuity of and access to primary and specialty care, and the overall beneficiary experience.

This Sacramento briefing is designed for legislative staff and others interested in the fundamentals of health policy in the Golden State.

The February 2013 issue of Health Affairs explores challenges and opportunities that arise when patients are engaged to make value-based decisions about their care. CHCF sponsors free access to select articles.

Learn about how the state might streamline eligibility determination for Covered California and Medi-Cal using data matching under the Affordable Care Act.

Access to information about value — the combination of cost and quality — can help health care consumers make better-informed choices among health plans and providers.