Health Equity

About Health Equity

Disparate health outcomes for Californians are often the result of historic and systemic inequalities that persist today. Unequal access to health care and health resources, as well as unequal and damaging environmental conditions due to race, socioeconomic status, and other factors is untenable in a just and healthy society. That’s why California’s hospitals are committed to ensuring every Californian receives equitable, high-quality care through programs that address the social determinants of health — things like housing instability, access to healthy foods, and community violence. But hospitals alone cannot eliminate health disparities. It will take systemic reform, paired with broad partnerships across all segments of California’s communities, to improve the status quo.

CMS Announces Voluntary State Total Cost of Care Model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center announced a new voluntary, state total cost of care model: the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) model. CMS will select up to eight states to participate in the model, which is intended to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity, and is built on best practices from the Maryland Total Cost of Care model, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model, and the Vermont All-Payer ACO Model.  

Changes, Challenges, and Champions

A little more than a year ago, the attention of the nation’s health care workers was fixed on Tennessee, where nurse RaDonda Vaught was on trial for the death of one of her patients. 

Advancing LGBTQ+ Health Equity with the Healthcare Equality Index

Join this webinar to learn more about the survey and how the information obtained can be used to advance efforts to provide equitable care to all your patients. You will also hear from two hospital members discussing their experiences with the survey and how they have implemented changes to better serve their LGBTQ+ community and employees.

CMS Issues Proposed Rules on Medicaid Access and Payment Rates

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued two proposed rules related to Medicaid programs. The proposed rules are designed to improve access to care, quality, and health outcomes, and better promote health equity for Medicaid beneficiaries across fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems. Comments on both proposed rules are due to CMS by 2 p.m. (PT) on July 3.