By Anne Sunderland, California Health Care Foundation, January 20, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced California to confront the devastating effects of health inequities and this stark truth: communities of color are more likely to contract the coronavirus and to die from it. It is essential, however, that the health disparities laid bare by the pandemic not obscure the fact that inequality has always been baked into the design, delivery, and financing of health care.
In a report released in December 2020, Centering Equity in Health Care Delivery and Payment Reform: A Guide for California Policymakers (PDF), the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) urged state leaders to seize administrative opportunities to reduce disparities, to give individuals and communities more power over their health care, and to create healthier communities.
A crucial opportunity is drawing near as the State of California prepares to seek bidders and write new contracts for health plans that will administer Medi-Cal benefits and service delivery to over 10 million children, families, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.
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