Disparities in Pediatric Provider Availability by Insurance Type After the ACA in California

The Affordable Care Act and Health Care Access and Utilization Among White, Asian, and Latino Immigrants in California

“…Therefore, it is feasible that previously uninsured immigrants who were reliant on the ED for care may not know how to navigate restrictive managed care networks or obtain needed care through their new insurance plans. Newly insured immigrants on Medicaid or lower cost individual market plans may experience difficulties finding participating providers due to low provider payment rates 32. In both scenarios, newly insured immigrants could find the ED more convenient, accessible, and affordable because of their familiarity and new insurance coverage 28–30…”

“…Newly insured immigrants on Medicaid or lower cost individual market plans may experience difficulties finding participating providers due to low provider payment rates. 32 In both scenarios, newly insured immigrants could find the ED more convenient, accessible, and affordable because of their familiarity and new insurance coverage. [28][29][30] To ensure new immigrant enrollees are able to use their insurance coverage to facilitate access to needed care, state agencies and insurers should work to improve health literacy and support navigation through outreach programs, translation of materials, interpretation services, and guidance to help immigrants get appropriate medical care when needed.…”

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Provider-Related Barriers to Health Care for Children in California After the ACA

“…So, while we did not find racial or ethnic disparities in provider-based barriers to care, disparities still persist by insurance type in the state. 22…”

“…In California, a recent study found that compared to children with employer-sponsored insurance, children with Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) and privately purchased coverage are much more likely to experience provider-related barriers. 22 Another study using national data before and after the implementation of the ACA found that insurance coverage and well-child visits improved for all youth, but inequities still persist in health care use, especially for Latino youth relative to white youth. 23 While racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and utilization may have improved overall post-ACA, provider-related barriers may remain.…”

Ventanillas de Salud: Defeating challenges in healthcare access for Mexican immigrants in the United States

“…Nevertheless, these results could vary from state to state, depending on whether the state analyzed participation in the Medicaid expansion or not. For example, according to Kemmick et al (2019), California operates the largest Medicaid program in the country (called Medi-Cal), having a record coverage of 42% (or over 4 million) of all children. However, the rates of pcp acceptance of Medicaid coverage is very low, probably due to low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates (Kemmick et al, 2019).…”