Riverside/San Bernardino: Despite Large Medi-Cal Expansion, Many Uninsured Remain

Riverside/San Bernardino: Despite Large Medi-Cal Expansion, Many Uninsured Remain

California Health Care Almanac Regional Markets Issue Brief
Published: Mar 18, 2016
Publisher: California Health Care Foundation

Authors

Laurie Felland

Cannon Warren

Dori Cross

Key Findings

Key Findings:

  • Seventeen percent of residents in this region lacked coverage by the end of 2014, compared to just under 12 percent for California as a whole, although Medi-Cal enrollment continued to climb throughout 2015.
  • The market continues to grapple with a short supply of hospital beds and physicians, particularly primary care physicians and psychiatrists. Many hospitals lack the financial resources to build new capacity and address state seismic requirements.
  • Although many physicians remain in independent or small practices, an eroding payer mix and other pressures are driving physicians to seek help in remaining independent or to trade independence for the stability of larger organizations, such as Kaiser.
  • Despite some improvements, the community lacks a robust, extensive safety net to adequately serve the health care needs of low-income people.
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties continue to recover from the devastating economic effects of the 2008 recession. Income levels in the region remain relatively low, and employment growth is characterized by lower-wage jobs with fewer health insurance benefits.

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