Aired 7/14/16 on KPBS News The expansion of the Medi-Cal program has exposed some gaps in San Diego County’s safety net, according to a new analysis from the California Health Care Foundation. San Diego's health care safety net is showing signs of strain, primarily due to the major expansion of the Medi-Cal program. That's according to a new analysis of San Diego's health care market from the California Health Care Foundation. The report found that over the last two years, the number of San Diegans with Medi-Cal coverage has nearly doubled to 700,000. Ha Tu, senior researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, co-wrote the report. She said by and large Medi-Cal recipients have gotten access to primary care at San Diego's community clinics. “But I think the area where the San Diego safety net has faced more severe challenges have been in access to specialty care and behavioral health care," Tu said. Some community clinics now offer access to mental health providers on site. But providers in many other specialties decline to treat Medi-Cal patients because of low reimbursement rates. The analysis also examined the state of San Diego's hospitals and health care systems, and finds a mixed bag. For instance, Kaiser Permanente has been making major gains in San Diego. One in five insured residents now have Kaiser coverage. Sharp Healthcare and UC San Diego Health have also gained market share over the last couple of years, while Scripps Health has lost a bit of ground. The report finds most of the county’s smaller independent hospitals have been losing patient volume and struggling financially. KPBS' daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings so you can listen on your morning commute. To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.
San Diego 's healthcare provision is straining due to expansion of the Medi - Cal program . A report by the California Health Research Foundation has found that the total people in San Diego with Medi - Cal coverage had doubled to nearly 700,000 . Ha Tu , report co - author , said the greatest area of challenge lay in access to San Diego 's specialty care and behavioral health care , with many specialties unable to treat non - Cal patients because of low reimbursement rates . The report also looked at health care providers in the county and found that while some have gained market share others have lost out .