Publisher's Letter

Abstract

From The Publisher Health AffairsVol. 15, No. 1 Publisher's LetterWilliam B. WalshPUBLISHED:Spring 1996Free Accesshttps://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.15.1.4AboutSectionsView PDFPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsDownload Exhibits TOPICSEducationGovernment programs and policies California is a state for all seasons. With vast economic, human, and social resources, California has emerged in the waning years of the twentieth century as our most important nation-state. It is almost impossible for a presidential candidate to win election without carrying the Golden State, with its population of thirty-two million and growing. But not all has been golden in recent years. California has suffered through one of its worse economic periods in the past century, in part because the end of the Cold War led Washington to sharply cut defense spending. But other developments have also torn the social fabric of the state: racial strife, a growing population of illegal aliens, and a lessening of political will to provide high-quality public education and health services to all of the citizens of California. In this thematic issue of Health Affairs we shine a spotlight on the rapidly changing nature of California's health insurance system and the status of public health there. We gratefully acknowledge the support that was granted for this volume by the California Center for Health Improvement, a nonprofit health policy and education center headquartered in the state's capital, Sacramento. The center itself was launched with support from The California Wellness Foundation for the purpose of providing a better base of information to those individuals and institutions that are seeking to improve the health and well-being of Californians through public policies and programs. In its short existence the center has conducted opinion surveys, sponsored conferences, held media briefings, provided technical assistance, and developed reports to provide new information about the health of California's citizens and communities. Health Affairs was gratified to have an opportunity to add a substantial amount of new material to this growing information base. We obviously have not been able to cover every issue of concern, but we believe we have illuminated a number of pathbreaking activities that are of great interest to our readers. Loading Comments... Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DetailsExhibitsReferencesRelated Article Metrics History Published online 1 January 1996 InformationCopyright © by Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.PDF download