Building and Sustaining Physician Networks in Medi-Cal Managed Care and Healthy Families

Physician participation in Medi-Cal is problematic. A 1999 statewide survey of beneficiaries showed 56 percent reported difficulty finding physicians willing to see them, and a 1998 survey of California physicians found that nearly half do not accept Medi-Cal patients. Low participation levels mean that even though Medi-Cal and Healthy Families participants may be able to afford care because their coverage eliminates the price barrier, they still might not be able to actually get care from their physicians of choice, receive care in a timely manner, or access care at all. Less understood is how participation issues arise and how important they are, not only in Medi-Cal, but also in the Healthy Families Program. This report details the policy implications for improving access to physicians in both programs.