CALIFORNIA: STUDY FINDS MAJOR ACCESS PROBLEMS
"Californians lag behind the rest of the nation in havingThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
health insurance, and nearly half of those who are covered have
trouble getting good medical care," according to a report
released today by the University of California-Berkeley School of
Public Health and the University of California-Los Angeles Center
for Health Policy Research. The study found that 22% of
California residents under age 65 were uninsured in 1996,
compared with 18% nationally. In addition, it found that 84% of
those without insurance work or have family members who work.
The single biggest barrier to health insurance was cost, the
study found, with many low- and middle-income workers being
unable to afford the monthly premium contribution, AP/San Jose
Mercury News reports. Researchers compiled data for the 103-page
report from seven state, federal and private surveys (1/22).
MORE KEY FINDINGS
Among Californians with insurance, 42% reported problems
with their health plans such as lack of important benefit
coverage, difficulty or delay in obtaining referrals or the "most
appropriate medical care" and disputes over billing and claims,
the Contra Costa Times reports. The report "concludes with
dozens of recommendations, from creating a new 'watchdog' agency
to oversee quality ... to making it easier for low-income
residents and small employers to get health insurance" (Appleby,
1/22).
SAFETY NET
According to Helen Halpin Schauffler, associate professor of
health policy at UC-Berkeley and one of the study's primary
authors, "The safety net, frankly, that's supposed to provide
access to care for [workers] is barely surviving in the state.
We either need to find a way to provide health insurance to this
population or we need to reinvest in the safety net that's
supposed to serve them" (Mercury News, 1/22). The study comes
"two weeks after a commission appointed by the governor made its
own recommendations for revamping health insurance in
California." Policy watchers believe that "[t]ogether, the
reports are likely to spur Sacramento lawmakers to introduce an
avalanche of health care legislation this year," (Contra Costa
Times, 1/22).