As an organization that has long fought for patients’ and workers’ rights in coalition with the labor movement, Health Access is proud to announce that we are now a union employer! In a historic move for the organization, Health Access has voluntarily recognized its first staff union, Health Advocates United – UAW local 2013. This step is a natural progression aligned with others in the policy advocacy and legislative community to reflect our values in not just in what we advocate for, but also how we do our work. Recognizing the value of our staff, Health Access welcomes this opportunity to ..read more

Download Factsheet Background Health care costs are outpacing inflation, taking bigger and bigger chunks out of Californians’ incomes and wages. More than half of Californians say they skip or delay care due to high costs. A major driver of these rising costs are health care mergers. As health systems and other health care corporations get bigger, they often drive-up prices for consumers, and studies show this consolidation does not come with improvements in quality and can even lead to less access to care. While health care consolidation is an issue across the board, in the last decade specif ..read more

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 Media Contacts: Rachel Linn Gish, Health Access California Communications Director, rlinngish@health-access.org Ed Sifuentes, CIPC Communications Director, esifuentes@caimmigrant.org SACRAMENTO – The #Health4All coalition rallied yesterday at the State Capitol for a more inclusive, universal health care system for ALL Californians, regardless of immigration status. While historic gains have been made in removing barriers in Medi-Cal for those that are income-eligible, about 520,000 undocumented Californians remain barred from purchasing care through Covered California d ..read more

Read the Factsheet More than one in three Californians have medical debt . . . When someone has unaffordable medical expenses those unpaid bills often turn into medical debt that is included on their credit report. This damages their credit score and may affect their ability to get an affordable car loan or a mortgage, to rent an apartment, and even to get certain jobs. . . . but medical debt is an extremely poor predictor of creditworthiness! Medical debt is not like other voluntary types of credit. Californians incur medical debt because they need health care. Medical debt is involuntary an ..read more

Los californianos indocumentados están explícita e injustamente excluidos del acceso y la compra de planes de cobertura de salud a través de Covered California, el mercado del estado establecido bajo la Ley Federal de Cuidado de Salud Asequible (ACA). El proyecto de ley de la Asamblea 4 (Arambula) abordaría esta exclusión dando el primer paso para permitir a los californianos indocumentados comprar planes de salud a través de Covered California. Específicamente, AB 4 establece un programa para permitir que las personas indocumentadas compren cobertura de atención médica al autorizar a Covered ..read more

The post The Office of Health Care Affordability: A Comprehensive Strategy for Lowering Costs and More appeared first on Health Access ..read more

Thirteen CA proposals announced today to get California to a more universal, accessible, and equitable health system, as soon as possible SACRAMENTO, CA – Today health care advocates gathered with legislative champions at the State Capitol to highlight important health reform bills in the 2024 legislative session. The thirteen bills and budget items featured as part of the #Care4AllCA campaign this year would take immediate steps to get California to a more universal, accessible, and equitable health care system. This year’s Care4All California legislative package, supported by a broad coalit ..read more

AB 236 (Holden), which seeks to improve the accuracy of health plan provider directories for consumers, now heads to the California Senate. ***Impacted consumer stories available upon request***   SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, the California State Assembly passed AB 236 by Assemblymember Chris Holden, which will ensure accurate health plan provider directories, and help consumers who are trying to pick a provider or a plan. To address the frustration of patients searching through often outdated and inaccurate “ghost” listings, this bill requires that health plans annually verify the information ..read more

Health and consumer advocates praise new staff recommendations of the Office of Health Care Affordability to set a statewide health growth target at 3% OHCA’s Health Care Affordability Board to make final decision in coming months SACRAMENTO, CA – California’s ambitious effort to rein in the skyrocketing cost of care enters a new phase this week as the board for the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) meets to discuss setting a statewide spending target. To provide relief from double-digit health cost increases to consumers, the staff recommends the adoption of a 3% annual cost growth ..read more

Download Factsheet Background  Every health plan in California is required to maintain an updated list of in-network health care providers for their enrollees. These directories list providers such as doctors, mental health professionals, hospitals, labs, imaging centers, and more that are in the health plan’s network. When consumers go to search for a new doctor or mental health specialist, they must be able to rely on these directories for accurate information.  When the providers on these lists are unreachable or do not actually provide care to consumers covered by that health pla ..read more