Over the past two days, California’s “Assembly Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage” heard testimony from key policy experts summarizing the state’s current health care delivery system and universal coverage systems around the world. Sarah de Guia, the California Pan Ethnic Health Network’s Executive Director issued this statement:
“California is closer to achieving universal coverage than ever before. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), nearly 14 million Californians are enrolled in Medi-Cal and able to access preventive services, primary care, mental health, substance use treatment, and oral health care. Another 1.3 million Californians receive health care coverage including financial assistance through Covered California, our state’s ACA marketplace. More than 5 million Californians who were previously uninsured now have access to care thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
While we have made progress, our work is not done. 3 million Californians, a majority of whom are people of color and low-income, still lack health care coverage. In addition, stark disparities in health outcomes remain. For example, Black and Latino communities are more likely to have diabetes and to report poor mental health than White communities. CPEHN remains committed to achieving universal coverage and eliminating health disparities. We look forward to working with the Legislature to explore all options to achieve universal coverage and to make meaningful strides towards eliminating disparities in access to care and health outcomes in our state.”
The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) is a statewide multicultural advocacy organization that works to improve the health of communities of color. Visit www.cpehn.org for more information.