blog post Immigrants and Health Insurance By Shannon McConville Nov 18, 2015 California has seen large declines in the uninsured rate among noncitizens—a group that includes an estimated 2.6 million people who legally reside in the state, as well as 2.7 million undocumented immigrants.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon, Shannon McConville, Mary Severance Mar 27, 2023 The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Californians gain health insurance over the past decade. In addition to improving access to care, the ACA has enhanced financial well-being. This work focuses on the significant contribution of publicly funded health coverage—particularly Medi-Cal—to family resources across the state.
Report Health Care for California’s Jail Population By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird Jun 18, 2014 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created a new opportunity for California to reach and enroll a medically vulnerable population—the jail population—in health insurance coverage. While inmates receive health care services from county jail systems while incarcerated, few have coverage after they are released from custody. Expansion of the state’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) under the ACA has extended insurance eligibility to much of the currently uninsured jail population. As a complement to the ACA, California recently signed into law Assembly Bill 720 (AB 720), which facilitates the use of jails as sites of health insurance enrollment. Increasing enrollment levels for the jail population holds the potential to reduce corrections costs, as well as improve public health and safety.
blog post Video: The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California By Mary Severance Apr 6, 2023 PPIC researchers Patricia Malagon and Caroline Danielson discuss a new report that examines how access to health coverage affects economic well-being across the state.
Statewide Survey Facing Facts: Public Attitudes and Fiscal Realities in Five Stressed States Oct 7, 2010 A survey in five of the nation’s most fiscally stressed states reveals a disconnect between what the public wants from state government and budget realities. Residents in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, and New York believe their states could spend less without cutting services. They want to protect K-12 education and Medicaid funding—by far the biggest portions of state budgets. They prefer charging someone else— wealthy corporations, smokers, drinkers, and gamblers—to ensure essential government services. But even these increases would likely be insufficient to close severe budget gaps. This survey was co-published by the Pew Center on the States and Public Policy Institute of California. Any text or graphics taken from the multistate survey should jointly credit the Pew Center on the States and Public Policy Institute of California, 2010.
blog post Health Care Access for California’s Immigrants By Paulette Cha, Mary Severance May 22, 2019 Governor Newsom wants to extend Medi-Cal access to low-income young adults up to age 26 regardless of immigration status, a proposal with strong public support.
blog post Emergency Departments and the Affordable Care Act By Shannon McConville Jun 27, 2018 Frequent visits to the emergency department can mean patients have few medical care options. Under the ACA, frequent emergency department use fell for Medi-Cal patients.
