The Health Access Foundation is a left-of-center organization based in Sacramento, California that advocates for changes to health-care policy. The organization has said that it supports the Black Lives Matter movement and believes that there is inequality in the health care industry. ¹

The Health Access Foundation advocates for a government-controlled single-payer health care system with a progressive tax structure, claiming that this system would be more fair, efficient, and cost-effective than the current healthcare system in the United States. ² The organization also runs the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, which advocated for a California law that forced California schools to provide training on programs for students who identify as LGBTQ. ³

The Health Access Foundation was founded in 1987 in California during debate about a bill which penalized hospitals that denied emergency care to uninsured people. ⁴ The organization receives support from numerous left-of-center foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Arnold Ventures. ⁵

Agenda

California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network

The Health Access Foundation’s biggest program is the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, which lobbies for health policies that benefit people who identify as LGBT. ⁶ The program supported a California bill that forced California schools to annually train teachers on programs for students who identify as LGBT, and it also lobbied for the passage of a bill that expanded the definition of gender violence to include sexual orientation and gender identity. ⁷ The program is in favor of a California law that requires out-of-state companies which contract with the state to provide insurance benefits to transgender employees. ⁸

Advocacy of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Healthcare

The Health Access Foundation advocates for principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in health policy. The organization claims that “Black and brown communities, low-income families, and LGBTQ Californians have worse outcomes and life expectancy than the rest of the population.” ⁹  To address these alleged issues, the organization says that it supports “movements such as Black Lives Matter and Stop AAPI Hate to root out the injustice and systematic inequities that permeate the health care system and lead to these inequities.” ¹⁰

Single-Payer Healthcare

The Health Access Foundation has advocated for single-payer health care, under which the government would control the health insurance industry, since its founding. It says that this system should be “a progressively financed system, where what we pay for health care is based on what we can afford, rather than how sick we are, and where the tax structure is also progressive, capturing unearned income.” ¹¹ The Health Access Foundation claims this system would be more efficient than having multiple health insurance companies because there would only be one organization for healthcare providers to negotiate with, and it would also be more cost-effective since patients would be pooled together, resulting in increased purchasing power. ¹²

People

The Health Access Foundation has 21 employees listed on its website. ¹³ Anthony Wright is the executive director of the Health Access Foundation, and he has held this position since 2002. ¹⁴ Wright lobbied for the passage of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and he also fought for the passage of state laws in California to implement Obamacare. ¹⁵ He has worked to pass other healthcare policy changes, including expanding Medicaid to illegal immigrants. ¹⁶

Funding

In the 2019 fiscal year, the Health Access Foundation reported $2,255,038 in revenue and $2,604,294 in expenses. ¹⁷ In 2018, the organization had $3,255,699 in revenue and $2,807,864 in expenses. ¹⁸ The organization’s biggest program service in 2019 was its California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, on which it declared $1,163,800 in expenses. ¹⁹ The organization also gave grants to several nonprofits in California, including $183,333 to Cal Voices and $101,300 to the Equality California Institute. ²⁰

The Health Access Foundation has received funding from many left-of-center foundations and organizations, including Arnold Ventures, Community Catalyst, the California Community Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Office of Health Equity in the California Department of Public Health, the California Tobacco Control Program, the Sierra Health Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Women’s Foundation of California. ²¹

1. Health Access Foundation. “Health Equity and Inclusion.” https://health-access.org/health-equity-and-inclusion/#Black-Lives-Matter. Accessed April 30, 2023.
2. Health Access Foundation. “Single Payer.” https://health-access.org/reform-coverage/single-payer/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
3. California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. “Important Successes.” https://californialgbtqhealth.org/policy/important-successes/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
4. Health Access Foundation. “History.” https://health-access.org/history/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
5. Health Access Foundation. “Health Access Foundation.” https://health-access.org/health-access-foundation/. Accessed April 29, 2023.
6. California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. “About Us.” https://californialgbtqhealth.org/about-us/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
7. California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. “Important Successes.” https://californialgbtqhealth.org/policy/important-successes/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
8. ^[1] California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. “Important Successes.” https://californialgbtqhealth.org/policy/important-successes/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
9. Health Access Foundation. “Health Equity and Inclusion.” https://health-access.org/health-equity-and-inclusion/#Black-Lives-Matter. Accessed April 30, 2023.
10. Health Access Foundation. “Health Equity and Inclusion.” https://health-access.org/health-equity-and-inclusion/#Black-Lives-Matter. Accessed April 30, 2023.
11. Health Access Foundation. “Single Payer.” https://health-access.org/reform-coverage/single-payer/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
12. Health Access Foundation. “Single Payer.” https://health-access.org/reform-coverage/single-payer/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
13. Health Access Foundation. “Our Team.” https://health-access.org/our-team/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
14. Health Access Foundation. “Anthony E. Wright.” https://health-access.org/our-team/anthony-e-wright/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
15. Health Access Foundation. “Anthony E. Wright.” https://health-access.org/our-team/anthony-e-wright/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
16. Health Access Foundation. “Anthony E. Wright.” https://health-access.org/our-team/anthony-e-wright/. Accessed April 30, 2023.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Health Access Foundation. 2019. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/930957949/202122269349300117/full. Accessed April 29, 2023.
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Health Access Foundation. 2019. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/930957949/202122269349300117/full. Accessed April 29, 2023.
19. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Health Access Foundation. 2019. Part III. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/930957949/202122269349300117/full. Accessed April 29, 2023.
20. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Health Access Foundation. 2019. Schedule I, Part II. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/930957949/202122269349300117/full. Accessed April 29, 2023.
21. Health Access Foundation. “Health Access Foundation.” https://health-access.org/health-access-foundation/. Accessed April 29, 2023.