Briefing on the ACA in California: Issues from Year One and Beyond

Author Details

Rakesh Singh

Vice President of Communications
Organization: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Go to The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation


Christine Maulhardt

Communications Manager
Organization: Blue Shield of California Foundation

Go to Blue Shield of California Foundation

This was originally published by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Blue Shield of California Foundation. This upcoming event will feature a number of great speakers, including CPEHN’s Executive Director, Sarah de Guia!

Continuing an effort to explore Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation in the states, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Blue Shield of California Foundation are examining ACA implementation in California at a briefing and panel discussion in Sacramento on May 28th. A state official, experts, and advocates will discuss issues and challenges related to the implementation of the law and the practical impact of providing coverage to roughly 4.5 million Californians who have coverage via the state marketplace or the Medi-Cal expansion. 

The event will feature the release of the report Coverage Expansions and the Remaining Uninsured: A Look at California During Year One of ACA Implementation, based on the latest round of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation’s Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA. The report, funded by the Blue Shield of California Foundation, provides a California snapshot of who gained coverage or remained uninsured in 2014. It also provides information on how the newly insured view their coverage and any problems they have encountered in using their coverage; how the remaining uninsured and newly insured fare with respect to access to medical care and financial burden; and why people in California continue to lack coverage. 

The agenda for the event includes a number of speakers, including:

Introduction/Moderator:  Brenda Solórzano, JD, Chief Program Director, Blue Shield of California Foundation

California Survey Findings

  • Rachel Garfield, PhD, Senior Researcher & Associate Director of Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Kaiser Family Foundation

State Perspective on ACA Implementation in California

  • Jennifer Kent, MPA, Director, California Department of Health Care Services

Panel Discussion (Moderator: Brenda Solórzano, JD)

  • Carmela Castellano-Garcia, Esq., California Primary Care Association
  • Sarah de Guia, JD, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
  • Genoveva Islas, MPH, Cultiva La Salud, & California Health Exchange Board

You can register online today