Launch of California's Office of Health Care Affordability - California Health Care Foundation

Cost-related access problems have become a widespread public health issue in California and across the country. In each of the last three years, one in two Californians skipped or delayed some type of health care because they couldn’t afford it, and half of those reported their condition got worse as a result. To address the affordability crisis and improve value for California families, the state recently created an office to set and enforce cost growth targets within the health care system. The Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA), part of California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), will also set and enforce targets designed to increase primary care and behavioral health investment, promote use of alternative payment models, and help ensure the stability of California’s health care workforce.

A CHCF briefing, to be held on Wednesday, November 30 in Sacramento, will provide context for the widespread affordability challenges experienced by millions of Californians and update attendees on HCAI’s early implementation of OHCA. This in-person briefing, CHCF’s first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, will also highlight the role that key industry stakeholders see for their organizations and sectors in supporting achievement of industrywide cost growth targets and, ultimately, improving health care affordability in California.

Read on chcf.org

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