OPEN-DOOR PROVIDERS: Face Growing Burden in ‘Intense Market Competition’
The convergence of an increasing number of uninsured, fierce market competition, the emergence of Medi-Cal managed care and an increasingly unstable funding base has catapulted California to "the verge of a major crisis in health care," according to a new California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems report. CAPH President Denise Martin said, "Despite the booming economy, seven million Californians are without health insurance, and that number is growing at a rate of 50,000 each month. The resulting strain on the state's health care infrastructure is mounting and threatens to limit access to health care services for millions of Californians." She also noted that recent reforms like the Healthy Families program "do little to support the health care providers, such as public hospitals and community clinics, that deliver the lion's share of care to the millions of Californians who remain uninsured." Martin said that in the absence of universal health care coverage, state leaders must provide the resources need to preserve access to vital health services. The report recommends direct targeted support for health care providers that maintain essential community-wide services and ensure access to medical services for low-income and uninsured persons. Click here to read California's Uninsured and the Future of Open Door Providers (CAPH release, 5/6).
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