Health Care Costs/Affordability

Our work in health care costs and affordability addresses the financial burden of care on Californians. We analyze spending trends and promote solutions that reduce costs while maintaining quality, particularly for Californians with low income.

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Knowledge Center

Understanding California’s Health Care Affordability Crisis

A significant amount of research, analysis, and commentary has been dedicated to explaining why health costs continue to escalate in California. This resource pulls together a set of the most relevant and important data points that best tell the story of the health care affordability crisis in California, including its causes, the impact on Californians,…

Health Care Costs/Affordability
Vickie Villegas sits in the waiting room at the West Coast Neurology office in Pasadena on April 24, 2024. She has faced steep health care costs since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo by Brandon Tauszik for CalMatters sits in the waiting room at the West Coast Neurology office in Pasadena on April 24, 2024. She has faced steep health care costs since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo by Brandon Tauszik for CalMatters

California’s Cap on Health Costs Is the Nation’s Strongest. Will Patients Notice?

Health Care Costs/Affordability
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Aligning Health Cost Growth with Economic Growth Would Save Californians Billions

Health Care Costs/Affordability

Groundbreaking Study Links Higher Primary Care Spending to Better Care Quality in California

Cover of UC Berkeley Labor Center report: Towards Universal Health Care Coverage

California’s Policy Options: Making Individual Market Coverage More Affordable

Health Insurance Coverage

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Recent Resources

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Does Shift Happen? Key Concepts and Evidence in the Hospital Cost-Shifting Debate

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Report
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Controlling Health Care Costs

Health care is too expensive for many Californians. CHCF offers these resources that detail where health spending happens, why health care costs are increasing so rapidly, and what policymakers could consider to improve value in the system.

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Woman's hands clenched together while waiting for medical care
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Reforming Prior Authorization in California

How automation and other solutions could reduce delays, improve patient outcomes, and make care more affordable.

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Expert Perspective
Vickie Villegas sits in the waiting room at the West Coast Neurology office in Pasadena on April 24, 2024. She has faced steep health care costs since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo by Brandon Tauszik for CalMatters sits in the waiting room at the West Coast Neurology office in Pasadena on April 24, 2024. She has faced steep health care costs since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo by Brandon Tauszik for CalMatters
Resource

California’s Cap on Health Costs Is the Nation’s Strongest. Will Patients Notice?

By 2029, hospitals, doctors, and insurers cannot increase spending by more than 3% annually.

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Feature Story

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