The Crucial Role of Counties in the Health of Californians: An Overview

Examines county programs and services including indigent health care, public health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, as well as challenges and considerations for federal healthcare reform, innovation, and realignment of government services

Ready for Reform? Health Insurance Regulation in California Under the ACA

Proposes criteria for health insurance regulatory reform and offers two options: consolidate the Department of Managed Health Care and the California Department of Insurance into one agency, or institutionalize coordination and consistency between them

Locally Sourced: The Crucial Role of Counties in the Health of Californians

This report highlights the crucial role that California's 58 counties play in driving all aspects of reform in the state for low-income citizens. It revisits counties six years after the initial 2011 report to measure how state and federal policies have evolved and been implemented in each region. High-level findings of the report include the following:County roles and responsibilities for health and healthcare show signficant room for improvement. The report finds that many county roles remain the same "as they have for decades" despite federal reform.Counties are still a critical financial driver of Affordable Care Act implementation. Currently, these entities provide the nonfederal Medicaid match for key health programs such as mental health and SUD programs for Medi-Cal services.The level and types of funding available to support county initiatives has shifted dramatically in the past few years. New strategies for funding county innovation will be necessary as certain pending policies sunset or new mandates take hold in the upcoming year