| Among health issues, Californians’ top priority is ensuring people with mental health problems can get treatment (52% say it is “extremely important”). Next is lowering the price of prescription drugs (47% extremely important), followed by making sure all Californians have health insurance (46% extremely important).
As it did last year, access to mental health care ranks in the top two health priorities for Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike.
“For too long, the health care system has treated mental health concerns as a second-tier issue,” said CHCF President and CEO Sandra R. Hernández, MD. “For two years in a row, the people of California are sending a clear message that this is the top health care issue they want addressed.”
The poll also found that large numbers of Californians who need mental health care struggle to get it. Among those with insurance who tried to make an appointment for mental health care in the past 12 months, nearly half (48%) found it very or somewhat difficult to find a provider who took their insurance. Over half (52%) of those who tried to make an appointment (with or without insurance) believe they waited longer than was reasonable to get one. |
HENRY KOTULA 