Overview

Let’s invest in keeping Californians healthy

Every dollar we spend on comprehensive year-round wellness programs—preventive health— saves us $3 dollars. Yet 86 % of our health care dollars treat chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, many of which are preventable. That’s why The California Endowment is dedicated to changing the culture in California so that communities are designed to support health instead of disease.

The first step is ensuring that all Californians have access to affordable, quality health coverage. Through its efforts in 2014, The Endowment’s Get Covered campaign helped support more than 2 million Californians newly enroll into Medi-Cal, 38 % of which were Latino. Millions are still uninsured, and The California Endowment continues to not only work to enroll Californians but to educate them on how to take advantage of their care.

The Endowment will continue to support the fight for health and justice for all Californians. For a healthy California, it’s crucial that everyone understands the importance of preventive health. The California Endowment will continue to work to expand access to health coverage and preventive care for all Californians, including the undocumented.

The California Endowment wants to expand Californians’ access to healthful lifestyle choices and adequate health insurance so all families can know peace of mind, regardless of where they live or where they were born.

Challenge

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the first step—there’s still plenty to do

We need to ensure all Californians have access to quality, affordable health coverage. At the same time, we need to encourage them to participate actively in their own health and fight for the health of their community. In 2014 and 2015, nearly 5 million Californians enrolled in Covered California and Medi-Cal.

The California Endowment has had great success enrolling the uninsured, but there is a long road ahead. Millions of Californians remain uninsured but may qualify for Medi-Cal or financial assistance through Covered California.  California has had great success with the ACA, and while more Latinos have health coverage now than ever before, the Latino share of the uninsured rose from 52 % to 61 % after the first year of full ACA implementation.

Barriers to coverage include, but are not limited to,  language, lack of knowledge, and fear of deportation. The California Endowment’s Asegúrate/Get Covered and #Health4All efforts aim to decrease these barriers to health care by working with community and media partners like the California Primary Care Association and Univision Communications to educate Californians on the importance of health coverage and how to gain access.

We seek to lift up Californians across the state to empower them to take action and enroll in and renew their health coverage. For many of the remaining uninsured families, health coverage means low- or no-cost check-ups and exams, medication, and dental care. These preventive services lead to a healthy, successful life and we must ensure that families take advantage every year.

Health not only happens in a doctor’s office—it also happens in our homes, schools, and communities. The California Endowment aims to shift traditional thinking away from treating patients only when they are sick to supporting preventive health within communities so that they can lead healthy, happy, and productive lives. Beyond enrolling Californians in coverage, we have to ensure that everyone understands the importance of preventive care because a healthy Californian means a healthier California.

Solutions

Health
Happens
Here
with Prevention.

Educate. Enroll. Repeat.

Preventive medicine—meaning screenings, regular check-ups, vaccines —saves lives.

There’s a lot we can do to educate the public about health care opportunities. And more still we can do to educate those who are confused or fearful of enrolling in health coverage. The quickest way to save lives in California is to provide everyone with access to affordable, quality health care.  We must encourage all residents who qualify for health coverage benefits but haven’t signed up to enroll.

Through our education and enrollment campaigns, The California Endowment is working to encourage millions of vulnerable Californians to enroll and renew their health coverage, and ensure that those who already have coverage take maximum advantage by accessing their care.

Our Work

Our Work

The California Endowment has targeted the largest uninsured groups in California—Latinos and lower-income families—for an education and enrollment campaign. We’re also targeting 18 to 26-year-olds, who may not be aware that it’s never too soon to enroll in health coverage. This work will continue with the campaign expanding to encourage the newly enrolled to renew their coverage while educating about the importance of practicing preventive care.

The ACA did much to expand access to health care, but we believe that all Californians should have access to affordable, quality care no matter their immigration status. The California Endowment’s #Health4All campaign highlights the important contributions undocumented Californians make to our state’s communities and economy.  It’s cheaper to take care of healthy Californians than treat them only when they’re sick, so why would it be different for undocumented Californians?

The California Endowment works to promote health, with an emphasis on prevention in all our projects. We promote a broader view of health—health happens in schools, neighborhoods and with prevention.  We want to bring clean water and physical activity back to schools. We’re working to make neighborhoods safer and healthier places where people can walk, bike, and jog without fear. We see a bright future and we’re working with and investing in people just like you to make it happen.