This project is funded under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Research in Transforming Health and Health Care Systems (RTHS) program, which supports policy-relevant, community-engaged research on current or potential policies to transform health and health care systems. The goal of the study is to increase health equity by developing models for farmworker Medi-Cal eligibility for COVID-19 related services that could inform California and other states considering similar policies. The study seeks to identify policy options for expanding Medi-Cal coverage to farmworkers in California, and the barriers, opportunities, costs, health outcomes, and return on investment associated with each option. This project will establish three regional stakeholder groups composed of agricultural employers, farmworker representatives, community advocates, health plans, Medi-Cal interests, insurance industry, safety net providers, and health policy/data experts to develop and review options for health coverage. To identify the costs, health outcomes, and return on investment associated with each of proposal, the researchers will estimate the investment that would have to be made by the state to expand each model of Medi-Cal to all farmworkers, using information from the National Agricultural Workers Survey and the Farmworker Health Study to estimate the rates. Deliverables will include a project work plan and annual and final narrative and financial reports, as well as a range of products to reach policymakers and other audiences for study findings.

Principal Investigator(s)

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Researcher

Paul Brown

Professor of Health Economics and Public Health - University of California, Merced

Paul Brown is a Professor of Health Economics and Public Health at the University of California, Merced. Profe... Read Bio