Ready or Not: Are Health Care Safety-Net Systems Prepared for Reform?

This issue brief examines the status of community safety-net systems in six regions in California. Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), large numbers of Californians will become eligible for Medi-Cal in 2014. Even with federal resources to help safety-net providers prepare, however, communities with weaker safety-net systems are lagging in reform preparations. As a result, low-income people in those communities may be left without health coverage and timely access to health care services. Even well-prepared regions will need time and assistance to help people gain health care coverage.