High health care costs hurt Californians every day. Millions can’t afford the care they need. More than half of all Californians skip or delay getting care because it costs too much.

CHCF’s body of work on affordability tracks trends and identifies the systemic drivers of high health care costs, documents the impact on Californians, and lifts up policy solutions.

On this page, explore CHCF’s latest research, commentary, and storytelling to help you better understand what’s causing California’s health care affordability crisis and what we can do about it. 

Essential Resources on Affordability

Understanding California’s Affordability Crisis: The 25% Problem

CHCF’s Kristof Stremikis and Anne Sunderland break down some of the reasons why health care costs in California are so high and what California is doing about it.

Illustration of home health aide helping elderly woman in her kitchen.

The 25% Problem: Why Health Care Is So Expensive (And What We Can Do About It)

Health care costs hurt Californians every day. Millions can’t afford the care they need. More than half of all Californians skip or delay getting care because it costs too much. How did we get here?

Recent Resources

Dr. Sandra R. Hernández speaks at California State Assembly Health Informational Hearing
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Expert Perspective

‘California Has the Power to Protect the Health of Our People’

Sandra R. Hernández President & Chief Executive Officer
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Expert Perspective

‘Back to the Future’: Defending Care in a New Era 

Illustration of a person pulling a string out of a tangled ball
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Expert Perspective

Health Care Is Too Complicated. It Doesn’t Need to Be.

Stethoscope laying on top of document that reads "Explanation of benefits"
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Report

California Health Benefits Survey 2025

A depressed man reads a letter
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Knowledge Center

The 25% Problem: Why Health Care Is So Expensive (And What We Can Do About It)

Doctor enters information on computer while talking to patient.
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Expert Perspective

Californians Need Strong Data Sharing to Lower Health Costs and Improve Care