The state agency that oversees Medi-Cal has failed to ensure that patients have adequate access to doctors, the California State Auditor has found.
Access
California leads the nation in enrollment in Medicaid, the national health program for low-income people, and has seen a 34 percent increase in enrollment since the Affordable Care Act took effect, according to a new report.
Many Los Angeles County doctors who treat the poor in California’s Medi-Cal managed care program have earned poor grades on safety, cleanliness and other measures the state uses to monitor health care delivery for some of the state’s most vulnerable patients.
“Communities of color in California are the majority in the state — they’re 60 percent of the state — but the populations that are the target focus of this strategic plan still face overwhelming disparities in mental health, both in terms of access but also in terms of outcomes.”
The health plan that serves low-income people in three California counties has been below the state’s minimum performance level for more than a year, according to quarterly assessments from the state agency that oversees the health plan.
Despite strides by the Veterans Health Administration to accommodate 400,000 women, the fastest growing population using VA hospitals and clinics, legislators and patient advocates say there are still big gaps in care.
Covered California health plans offer smaller hospital networks than commercial plans, a recent study reports. The research backs up the claims of many enrollees who say their Covered California plans have narrow networks. However, the researchers add, the state marketplace plans still offer about the same level of geographic access to hospitals and in some cases allow enrollees to get care at higher quality hospitals.
When anti-seizure drugs no longer help, children with epilepsy often need surgery, but a new study has found that they face barriers to treatment and often wait more than a year for the surgery.
Before health reform, Los Angeles County clinics served people who had no other options—sick patients with no health insurance. But as 2014 approached, county officials realized that many of their clients would become insured and choose other health care. If they opted out, the entire system –with 19,000 employees and a $4 billion budget would face near collapse.
The Affordable Care Act, with its promise of health care for most Americans, represents a welcome step forward for physicians who have cared for the uninsured.