Planning is underway for Los Angeles County’s new uninsured program, marking an important step toward expanding access to care for low-income adults without health coverage.
The program will be housed in Community Programs, which is committed to connecting individuals to essential health and social services.
This week, the program welcomes its first staff members, who all previously worked for a predecessor program My Health L.A. Their initial work will focus on contracting with clinics and key vendor organizations, coordinating with key partners, and preparing the infrastructure needed to launch the program successfully. The program is expected to start in January and will include primary, specialty, dental and behavioral health care for people who do not qualify for or who lose access to Medi-Cal. It is funded through Measure ER, the half-cent sales tax that voters approved in June to fund the health care safety net.
Over the past several weeks, the new director, Anna Gorman, has been meeting with a broad network of partners, including the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, the Hospital Association of Southern California, fellow County departments, community organizations and Board of Supervisors deputies. These discussions are helping ensure the program is built with input from stakeholders throughout L.A. County. Among the topics still under discussion are eligibility, payments, services and quality metrics.
The program team released a survey Tuesday to help select a name for the program. Please consider suggesting one here: The ‘Uninsured Program’ Naming Survey
As planning continues, L.A. Health Services is committed to creating a program that uses taxpayer funds wisely and expands access to care for Los Angeles County residents who need it most.
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