Thirty-seven counties across Cailfornia - from Imperial to Kern to Shasta - saw uninsured rates increase to nearly one-third of their total nonelderly populations for all
or part of 2009 (Exhibit 1). read more »
Farmers and ranchers throughout California know that
it is hard to find a doctor close to home and they
are in good company, with an estimated 3.3 million Californians lacking easy access to medical
care.read more »
No one is competing for low-income patients: that’s the unfortunate truth for those who depend on Medi-Cal for their health insurance. When national health
care reform is fully implemented, one in four Californians
will be eligible for Medi-Cal. In concept, that should mean that more Californians
will have improved access to doctors, but that isn’t the reality because most doctors – 70% of California’s doctors according to the California Medical Association- won’t accept Medi-Cal patients.read more »
San Gabriel Valley hospitals, doctors, clinics and
long-term care providers are evaluating strategies to curb
a growing shortage of primary care physicians, in part to prepare for an expected influx of newly insured
residents under the federal health reform law, the
Whittier Daily News reports read more »
SB 726 has passed the Assembly and will be debated in August
in the Senate. This legislation would permit small
rural hospitals, like Oak Valley, to recruit and hire
physicians directly. This could be a tremendous benefit
to local residents. read more »
Health care and government officials in Riverside County
have banded together to lobby the state to adjust reimbursement
rates they say are inadequate and creating a crisis
in health care access.read more »
A lack of transportation, poverty, and a harsh winter
climate are among the many factors preventing Northern
California residents from receiving adequate health
care. This is what Scott Shafer, the host of the “California Report” and “Health Dialogues,” found while working on a story about basic health
services in rural Northern California, which brought
him to Humboldt County.read more »
In fiscal year 2009, California spent a total of $47 billion on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. As is common with other states’ Medicaid programs and health insurance generally,
spending was highly concentrated among a small number
of beneficiaries: Seven percent of Medi-Cal beneficiaries accounted for more than three-quarters of fee-for-service program expenditures in fiscal year 2008.read more »
