Los Angeles: Fragmented Health Care Market Shows Signs of Coalescing

CHCF Regional Market Issue Brief
January 2013
Laurie E. Felland, Ann S. O'Malley, Divya R. Samuel, Lucy B. Stark

As part of the California Health Care Almanac project, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) funded HSC to conduct interviews in six California communities in 2011-12 to assess how the organization, financing and delivery of health care are changing, including preparations for health reform.

Although Los Angeles’ diverse economy has provided some resiliency during the economic downturn, hospitals have experienced lower patient care revenues. This report provides a snapshot of the region’s health care market.

Key findings of the Los Angeles report include:

• The area’s dense urban environment has given rise to a large, fragmented health care market.
• Health care reform and a drop in private insurance enrollment have led to new affiliations among providers to gain more patients.
• The region’s safety-net system has expanded its capacity to adapt to Medi-Cal’s growing enrollment under health reform.

Click here to access the Los Angeles report at the CHCF Web site.