California Health Care Foundation

🎉Happy CHCF Anniversary to These Colleagues!🎉 ⛸️ 🧳 Gillian Cervero is our Senior Grants Manager. She was once a competitive figure skater, she enjoys the art of calligraphy, loves to explore new destinations, and delights in culinary and outdoor adventures. (19 years) ⛰️ ☀️ Kathryn E. Phillips is our Associate Director, Improving Access. She is not only celebrating 10 years with us at CHCF, but also 10 years as a California resident. Eureka! And she is here to stay!

People aged 50 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the population experiencing homelessness in the United States, often navigating complex health needs alongside housing instability. To support communities working across these systems, our partners Community Solutions, Inc. and HC2 Strategies have released a new Needs and Assets Assessment Toolkit for Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness. The toolkit is designed for Continuums of Care, local governments, and health, housing, and aging services teams seeking a practical, data-informed way to: — Understand the needs of older adults experiencing homelessness — Map existing assets across systems — Strengthen cross-sector collaboration — Inform policy, funding, and implementation decisions 🔗 Explore the toolkit: https://lnkd.in/g9hu7NCR

What does it take to build a health care system that responds to each person’s needs and moves beyond one-size-fits-all care? Our new report examines how seven California acute care hospitals and health systems are using race, ethnicity, and language (REAL) data to understand the needs of their patients, target medical resources more effectively, and ultimately improve quality of care. This set of case studies — from Kaiser Permanente, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, San Mateo Medical Center, UC San Diego Health's Department of Health Equity, Ventura County Medical Center, Natividad Medical Center (NMC), and UCI Health — serves as a critical resource for health care leaders and policymakers who are committed to identifying and addressing health disparities across California’s diverse communities. Explore the findings: https://lnkd.in/gG8vqsJP

NEW: 2026 CHCF California Health Policy Survey Our new statewide survey reveals just how urgent the health care affordability crisis is for most Californians: 📊 7 in 10 Californians say health care costs are creating a financial strain on their household. 💸 Half say their health expenses are rising faster than their income. 📈 Concerns about unexpected medical bills now exceed worries about rent, housing, or groceries. These findings cut across geography, race, income, and political affiliation. Californians are united in saying that the cost of care is one of the most pressing issues facing the state. See the full California Health Policy Survey results here: https://lnkd.in/dtn8GKx3

⚕️ What if your doctor needed to work 26.7 hours a day just to meet recommended care standards for their patients? That's not hypothetical — it's the math behind California's primary care crisis. More than 11.4 million Californians already live in primary care shortage areas, and the workforce delivering that care is under enormous strain. A new CHCF report offers a path forward: evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen primary care teams, including payment model reform, expansion of team-based training, and investment in retention. Read the full report 👇 📌 ALSO THIS WEEK: • Earned media of the CHCF regional market report in Shasta and Lassen counties: physician shortages, high mortality rates, and reduced funding for rural safety net providers • ⚠️ Public comment due March 12: California's draft renewal application for the federal waiver for the CalAIM initiative renewal is available for public comment. • April 2 in Redding: Join CHCF for a conversation with regional leaders about rural health care • Know a great story about primary care? We want to hear it! • Missed our discussion about San Joaquin Valley? Watch the recording! Read the full CHCF Weekly: https://lnkd.in/gEG7wFx4

Good health care is about more than medical treatment. It requires providers to know their patients' needs, from food security to housing status. California law now mandates this level of accountability from health plans, and one promising way for them to meet the standards is investing in small, independent medical practices that are rooted in their communities and serve a high number of Medi-Cal patients. We supported a two-year pilot called EQuIP-LA that gave modest grants to 31 small practices in LA County. The funds went toward coaching providers in equity-focused quality improvement, which led to practical results. At the end of the pilot: 📈 Blood pressure control improved by 13 percentage points 📈 Colorectal cancer screening increased by 11 points 📈 Diabetes management improved by 7 points EQuIP-LA shows what’s possible with a simple investment in small practices. Learn more about the pilot: https://lnkd.in/g5UHj28S

After a period of decline (with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic), health care spending is accelerating again. National health spending growth rose to 7.5% in 2023, according to the latest available data. Over time, health spending has consistently grown faster than inflation and GDP, and is projected to increase 5.8% per year through 2033, reaching an estimated $8.6 trillion. In 2023 alone: 💵 Total health spending reached $4.9 trillion, or $14,570 per person 📊 Health care accounted for 17.6% of the US economy 🏥 Hospital care and physician services made up half of all health spending Explore more in our 2025 edition of the National Health Spending Almanac: https://lnkd.in/e-mn23bt

Missed the latest CHCF webinar? Watch the replay! The #SanJoaquinValley Regional Market Report webinar is now available to watch. Explore the latest data and insights on health care access, affordability, workforce challenges, hospital finances, and policy trends shaping the Valley. 🎥 Watch the replay: https://lnkd.in/gUx49_b4 📊 Explore the data: https://lnkd.in/gDy-7Xiu

A new CalMatters article looks at how AI tools are starting to show up in street medicine for Californians experiencing homelessness. Supporters say these tools could help teams reach more patients and work more efficiently. Others caution that technology can’t replace deep, relationship-based care or an understanding of people’s lived realities. CHCF’s Stella Tran spoke to CalMatters, reflecting on both sides of the conversation: the potential to improve access, and the need for strong guardrails around transparency, consent, and bias. It’s an important read as health systems explore how AI innovation fits into frontline care: https://lnkd.in/g5T4fmsH #AIInsights #AIinHealthCare #HealthPolicy