L.A. Care Health Plan – 23 Years Strong

More Important than Ever

L.A. Care Health Plan is marking its 23rd anniversary under the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic, but that cloud has not changed the mission the health plan has held for 23 years – to provide access to quality health care for Los Angeles County's vulnerable and low-income residents and to support the safety net required to achieve that purpose. In fact, the coronavirus outbreak is shining a bright light on just how important that mission is for Los Angeles County, and how strong L.A. Care has remained in the face of crisis.

L.A. Care has become a trusted resource for the communities we serve – and not just for health coverage. L.A. Care recently launched L.A. Care Community Link, which is a free online search tool for social services assistance that is proving extremely helpful during the coronavirus outbreak. With many members and community members suddenly finding themselves unemployed, without food and other resources, L.A. Care Community Link is helping to connect them to much needed services. L.A. Care also has a web page and regular social media posts with accurate and up-to-date coronavirus information for members and the public.

 “Our top priority is the health and wellness of our members,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “While we are living through this outbreak, access to accurate information and social services support such as food assistance are just as important as the health coverage we offer. We are doing all we can to keep members informed so they can stay healthy.”

Community involvement remains an important part of L.A. Care’s DNA, even though the health plan has grown dramatically over the past 23 years. It started with 200,000 Medi-Cal members and now serves more than 2.1 million members in four product lines. It is the largest publicly operated health plan in the country, with a heart as large as its size.

L.A. Care has committed nearly $200 million over the years to organizations that are working to improve the quality of life for communities all across Los Angeles County. Ongoing projects include housing for members experiencing homelessness and an initiative to combat a physician shortage within L.A. County’s safety net. The $20 million commitment to Brilliant Corners and L.A. County’s Housing for Health program has housed 254 individuals and families, so far. The $155 million, five-year Elevating the Safety Net initiative has led to an additional 72 physicians in the L.A. County safety net.

This past year, L.A. Care proudly launched a $146 million partnership to jointly operate 14 Community Resource Centers with plan partner Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. The centers will connect members from both plans and the Los Angeles community to classes and personalized services that will address social needs and keep them active, healthy and informed. Over the next year, we will see seven new centers open across the county, while seven existing centers will be rebranded, and in some cases, relocated to larger facilities.

As we work to address the heartbreaking situation currently rocking our nation, L.A. Care and all of its employees stand strong with members, providers, and community partners to say we will get through this together.