Limiting Cost Growth While Improving Quality and Outcomes
Californians have long felt they are paying more and getting less when it comes to health care. Health Access supports reforms to slow the rate of growth in overall health care costs, while improving quality, outcomes, and equity. Through transparency and better oversight of health care spending at every level of the health system—health plans, hospitals, medical groups, drug companies, etc.– we can get better value for our money, for individual consumers and for the system as a whole.
Despite the widespread concern about health care costs, there’s comparatively little information about how we spend our health care dollars. Which health plans are doing the best job at managing care and supporting wellness for their enrollees? How are we doing as a state on the Quadruple Aim objectives (better care, healthier populations, lower costs, health equity)? Health Access advocates for increased transparency, from detailed data to inform purchasers and policymakers to report cards to help consumers make informed choices for their care and coverage.
For Californians that have a choice of plans, transparency tools may be helpful for sorting through choices of plans and providers. Just as importantly, research confirms that when health outcomes and results are publicly reported, providers work harder to ensure higher quality. Health Access supports efforts to make such data more publicly available so that purchasers of health care and consumers may be better equipped to choose among plans, providers, and procedures.
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Health Access Analysis & Advocacy
- Blog Post: Health Reform 2.0- California Starts Sec. 1332 Waiver Discussions (Feb 2016)
- Blog Post: DHCS Stakeholder Advisory Committee Digs Deeper into Medi-Cal 2020 Waiver, SB 75 Implementation, and Other Care Transformation Initiatives (Feb 2016)
- Blog Post: Covered CA Takes Big Steps on Standardized Benefit Design and Quality/Equity Measures (Feb 2016)
- Blog Post: Prescription Drug Costs Transparency Bill Fails in Assembly Health Committee, But Fight Continues (Jan 2016)
- Blog Post: DHCS & CMS Agree to Medi-Cal 2020 Waiver Framework (Nov 2015)
- Blog Post: DHCS Stakeholder Advisory Committee October 14, 2015-Highlights for Consumer Advocates (Oct 2015)
- Blog Post: Health Reform 2.0-New Efofrts on Value-Based Health Care (Jul 2015)
- Blog Post: Consumer Protection Bills Move Forward-Mixed News on Transparency (Apr 2015)
- Blog Post: Health Committees Vote (Apr 2015)
Additional Resources
- Health Care Quality Report Cards, California Office of the Patient Advocate (2015-16)
- Right Care Initiative, California Department of Managed Healthcare (2015)
- CalQualityCare.org: compares quality in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, hospice, home health and medical groups
- Hospital Compare, Home Health Compare, Nursing Home Compare (Medicare, CMS)