Contra Costa Board of Supervisors Reviews Basic Health Care Program Expansion to Protect Uninsured Residents

Health policy analysts and clinical leaders with Contra Costa Health presented a comprehensive proposal to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in Martinez this month to expand the county's Basic Health Care (BHC) safety-net program, aiming to prevent dangerous gaps in medical treatment for thousands of low-income Diablo Valley and East Bay residents navigating state and federal eligibility shifts. Reviewed during an October 2026 Board of Supervisors session at 1025 Escobar Street, the initiative focuses on preserving preventive primary care, chronic disease management, and prescription drug access.

Administered through Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez and county outpatient clinics serving Pleasant Hill, Concord, Pittsburg, and Richmond, the Basic Health Care program provides coordinated medical homes for low-income county residents who do not qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal or subsidized Covered California exchange plans. County health administrators warned supervisors that without a streamlined local bridge program, working families and older adults who lose coverage during eligibility redeterminations often delay insulin, hypertension, and behavioral health refills until a costly emergency-room crisis occurs.

Under the proposed expansion options evaluated by the Board of Supervisors' Family and Human Services Committee, Contra Costa Health would simplify sliding-scale income verification, align clinic copayment waivers across county health centers, and deploy bilingual enrollment navigators at community clinics in Concord, Pleasant Hill, and Martinez. Hospital finance directors emphasized that proactive outpatient management at county health centers reduces uncompensated emergency department admissions at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.

Supervisors directed health department fiscal staff to return with final budget allocations and state realignment funding projections ahead of the county's winter budget adjustments. Residents across Pleasant Hill, Martinez, and the Diablo Valley can speak with a Contra Costa Health coverage counselor at (800) 771-4270 or review eligibility guidelines online at cchealth.org.