Eligibility

2016 Edition — California Employer Health Benefits

Heidi Whitmore, Jon Gabel

Coverage Trends

The majority of Californians rely on their employers for health insurance, but the percentage of employers offering coverage has declined since 1999. At the same time, 27% of firms reported reducing benefits or increasing cost sharing. California Employer Health Benefits: Workers Pay the Price presents data compiled from the 2015 California Health Benefits Survey.

Proposed Poverty Calculation Would Make More People Ineligible for Medicaid

Xenia Shih Bion

Expanding Health Coverage, Medi-Cal, Payment & Financing

Stories That Caught Our Attention This Week: The Trump administration is seeking public comment on possible changes to the formula that sets the federal poverty guideline — an action that could reduce access to safety-net programs for millions.

California Lawmakers Consider Ways to Close Coverage Gaps

Xenia Shih Bion

Expanding Health Coverage, Coverage Trends, Medi-Cal

Stories That Caught Our Attention This Week: For years, the California Legislature has tried to ensure that all Californians have health coverage, and Governor Gavin Newsom has embraced that goal. Where do things stand in Sacramento?

Medi-Cal Explained

Medi-Cal is the foundation of California’s health care safety net and a major component of the state’s budget. The Medi-Cal Explained series provides an overview of the program, including the people it serves, the services it provides, and how it is organized, managed, and financed.

Medi-Cal Eligibility and Enrollment: Current Status and Challenges

Health Management Associates

This fact sheet provides an overview of the eligibility determination and enrollment process for the Medi-Cal program.

Understanding the Governor’s Health Coverage Expansion Plans: A Reading List

January 10, 2019

Expanding Health Coverage, Coverage Trends, Medi-Cal, Payment & Financing

Between his first executive orders and his new budget plan, California Governor Gavin Newsom is putting his health care agenda into motion with important proposals to help more Californians get and keep coverage.

Changing Public Charge Immigration Rules: The Potential Impact on Children Who Need Care

Leah Zallman, Karen Finnegan

Coverage Trends

This issue brief explores how a proposed change to public charge laws and their impact on immigration could affect children with medical needs.

How Many in Your Area Are Uninsured — and Why?

Coverage Trends

The state is considering a variety of proposals to cover the remaining three million Californians who lack insurance. Explore data that show the number of remaining uninsured in California by region and eligibility.

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

Expanding Health Coverage, Coverage Trends

The UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education has released a report detailing affordability concerns of Californians seeking individual market coverage. It also outlines five policy options that could move the state closer to universal coverage.

California Lawmakers Asked CHCF How to Improve Access to Care in Medi-Cal. Here’s What We Told Them.

February 8, 2018

Christopher Perrone

Medi-Cal, Telehealth

Chris Perrone, director of CHCF's Improving Access team, told the California Legislature how Medi-Cal expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has affected access to care for people who rely on the program.

Health Care Is a Universal Value. It’s Time for a Universal Effort.

February 7, 2018

Sandra R. Hernández

Sandra R. Hernández: Too many Californians with low incomes are held back or suffer because it is difficult to get the care they need. There are clear ways to make health care work for low-income Californians — if we work together across sectors, across professions, and across ideological camps.

Medi-Cal: A Program and a Population That Work

January 16, 2018

Kristof Stremikis

Expanding Health Coverage, Medi-Cal

While the federal government has opened the door for states to impose work requirements on people who use Medicaid, data show that a vast majority of nondisabled recipients are already in working families.

Data Show Medicaid Expansion Benefited Family Finances

November 17, 2017

Anne Sunderland

Health Care Costs, Medi-Cal

Researchers have found that the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion is associated with declining medical debt, fewer personal bankruptcies, improved credit scores, and reduced reliance on predatory lending practices.

Why Health Plans Should Go to the ‘MAT’ in the Fight Against Opioid Addiction

Julia Elitzer, Margaret Tatar

Coverage Trends

The opioid epidemic demands urgent attention. Health plans can play a role in preventing overdose deaths by improving access to medication-assisted treatment.

How Many People in Your County Could Lose Coverage Under the Graham-Cassidy Bill?

Katherine Wilson

Expanding Health Coverage, Coverage Trends, Medi-Cal

This map shows what percentage of each California county's total population — and each county's total Medi-Cal population — could lose coverage in 2027 under the Graham-Cassidy bill.