- 30,000 County residents are newly insured thanks to Medi-Cal.
- Wait times for the emergency room have not changed, even as the number of patients has increased. Hospitals aren't taking any chances: in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Santa Ynez, they plan to double the size of their emergency rooms.
- As reimbursed care goes up, unreimbursed charity care services are going down, from $17 million to $13 million over one year. This should keep nonprofit providers stable and help keep prices down for everyone.
- There is a shortage of primary care doctors, even as more patients need care. Panelists blame the high cost of medical school.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Doctors quantify local impact of HCR
A doctor's forum last week examined the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the health care system in Santa Barbara County. Among the forum's findings reported in the Independent:
