Policy Briefs & Toolkits

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth services for many California health care providers and systems. While many of the flexibilities to telehealth service delivery may remain permanent, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) proposed removing payment...Read more about Evaluating Medi-Cal Telehealth Policy for Audio-Only Visits Post-Pandemic

Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) enable health care providers to access patient information from unaffiliated health systems to deliver informed care. The COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized the value of HIEs by enabling public health agencies to precisely target...Read more about Expanding Health Information Exchange to Advance Health Equity in California

Private nonprofit hospitals have historically allocated over 75% of their community benefit resources to patient care, but insurance coverage gains achieved through ...Read more about Allocating Private Nonprofit Hospital Community Benefit Spending to Address the Needs of Socially Vulnerable Communities in California

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in telehealth utilization in order to still provide care and keep patients safe by reducing contact with potentially infected individuals and stemming the spread of the virus. A digital divide already existed preCOVID and the pandemic exacerbated it...Read more about Tackling the Digital Divide by Improving Internet and Telehealth Access for Low-Income Populations

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted California’s essential workers, particularly Latino and Black workers, employed in low-wage industries. In our brief, “Protecting California’s Essential Workforce During the COVID-19 Emergency,” the objective of our analysis is to...Read more about Protecting California’s Essential Workforce During the COVID-19 Emergency

While research has established that homelessness and housing instability are social risk factors that have a strong impact in shaping health outcomes, Medicaid has historically faced regulatory barriers to funding housing services for its low-income beneficiaries. In this policy...Read more about Coverage of Housing Services in Medi-Cal: Policy Recommendations for ‘In Lieu of Services’

Agricultural workers in California are pressured by their circumstances and employers to keep working in unsafe conditions that increase their susceptibility to contracting COVID-19. Farmworkers should not have to put their lives on the line to maintain the food supply chain....Read more about California's Farmworkers: Essential but At Risk

With both manufacturer-set list prices for insulin and median out-of-pocket cost per insulin vial nearly tripling over the past two decades, insulin has become less affordable over time for all Californians at an alarming rate.^5,9 Through comprehensive policy efforts that address...Read more about The California Insulin Crisis Explained: A Primer on Insulin Pricing, Past Legislative Action, and the Path Forward

In order to enhance the ability of policymakers to learn from and build upon the Health Homes Program, Professors Amanda Brewster and Emmeline Chuang co-led a project to characterize the Medi-Cal Health Home implementation process across California. The Health Homes Program (HHP), together with...Read more about Medi-Cal Health Homes: Coordinating physical health, behavioral health, and community services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries with complex needs

Increased immigration enforcement, deportations, and proposed changes to the public charge rule have led to a decrease in the use of health services and/or enrollment in public benefit programs among immigrant communities. Healthcare facilities have taken proactive actions to protect...Read more about Policies & Actions Aiming to Protect & Welcome Immigrant Patients: A policy toolkit

Approximately, 45% of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are uninsured, compared to 23% of documented immigrants and 8% of U.S. citizens. Lack of health insurance coverage among undocumented immigrants is associated with delays seeking health care and underutilization of cost-...Read more about How to Expand Health Care Coverage to Undocumented Immigrants: A policy toolkit for state and local governments

Professor Cecelia Ayon of University of California Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation recently published a report on Undocumented Older Adults’ health needs...Read more about Access to health care for undocumented immigrants: A resource for policy makers and advocates