San Diego's healthcare provision is straining due to expansion of the Medi-Cal program. The state has been forced to spend more than $900 million on health care over the past decade, and it faces a projected deficit in its next budget year that could reach $1 billion. 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, 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 declining to treat Medi-Cal patients because of low reimbursement rates. The report also looked at health care systems in the county and found that while some have gained market share others have lost out.
San Diego's healthcare provision is straining due to expansion of the Medi-Cal program. The state has been forced to spend more than $900 million on health care over the past decade, and it faces a projected deficit in its next budget year that could reach $1 billion. 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 declining to treat Medi-Cal patients because of low reimbursement rates. The report also looked at health care systems in the county and found that while some have gained market share others have lost out.