Short-term outcomes:Access to Health and Social Services in California
Both health and social services are necessary to help older adults maintain their independence and quality of life. Most older adults in California have access to these services; and yet we see critical opportunities for improvement, especially among marginalized populations.
One in ten older Californians do not have a usual source of care.
Very few older adults delayed needed medical care because of cost or coverage.
Older Adults with a Usual Source of Care (Non-Ed)
Of the nearly 9 million older adults in California, roughly one in 10 do not have a usual source of care.
Although more than 90 percent of older adults in California report having a usual source of care, a small share remain disconnected from the health system.
Older adults with incomes 200% of the federal povery level or below, who report their race as other single race, more than one race, or Asian, who are Hispanic, or who speak a language other than English at home are somewhat less likely to have a usual source of care.
Accelerated Action:
If California maintains current trends, we expect that about 91 percent of older adults in the state will have a usual source of care in 2030. Accelerating action to address this concern would realize a goal of 95 percent — or an additional 474,000 adults who would have a usual source of care. Achieving further improvement will likely require tailored approaches to connect individuals without a usual source of care to a primary health provider.
Older Adults who Did Not Seek Care Due to Cost or Coverage
Very few older adults in California delayed medical care because of cost or lack of coverage.
Although the delay of needed medical care can be costly for older adults and their families, only about 3 percent of older Californians, roughly 286,000, skipped needed health care because of cost. This has remained relatively consistent over time, with few differences between those who did and did not delay care.
Accelerated Action:
If California maintains current trends, we expect about 2.5 percent of older adults will delay medical care because of cost or coverage in 2030. Accelerating action would realize a goal of 2 percent — or an additional 50,000 adults who would not delay care because of cost or coverage. However, given how few people reported delaying care, achieving further improvement in this measure will be challenging and require tailored approaches to provide those who did not see a provider because of cost or coverage with support in overcoming any health-related financial constraints.
Call to Action!
Want to learn how you can help make a difference? Consider the following activities and ideas.
Funders
- Support equity-centered innovations that can connect underserved populations to health and social services, including a usual source of care.
- Promote data collection and data sharing that will enable and strengthen efforts to monitor and improve access to health and social services among older adults.
Policymakers
- Strengthen healthcare coverage to help ensure that all Californians have equitable access to high-quality, affordable care.
- Expand federal programs and promising models to ensure that all older adults have access to care that addresses both health and social needs.
Advocates
- Continue efforts to expand health care coverage and equitable access to health and social services, particularly for underserved populations.
- Identify and encourage the removal of barriers to receiving health and social services for older adults, particularly those who are underserved.
- Champion the spread and uptake of promising models that facilitate older adult access to health and social services, particularly among underserved populations.