The nature of employment is changing. Employees are increasingly seen as liabilities rather than assets, and so workers are kept at arm’s length from the companies they ultimately serve. Middle-class long-term jobs are shifting to precarious, low-wage work. These contingent relationships include temporary and subcontracted workers, whose ranks have been growing over the past two decades.

This blog post assesses the progress the state has made in getting those who are eligible to take up the newly available ACA options.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) currently being considered by Congress would improve health care affordability for many Californians by addressing high and rising drug prices and by extending the improved premium affordability assistance to Covered California enrollees that began in 2021. The extension of federal premium assistance would also unlock additional state-financed affordability help to reduce how much Covered California enrollees pay out-of-pocket when they access care.

This report profiles three county programs that offer health care services to undocumented residents and aims to serve as a resource for designing and implementing similar programs elsewhere across the nation.

Workers in certain California industries – agriculture and service industries including restaurants, retail, auto repair, hair salons, private households, and building services – would be especially affected by ACA repeal.