Miranda
Dietz
Senior Policy Researcher, Health Care Program
Program Area
Health Care
Area of Expertise
Health policy
Uninsured
About Miranda
Miranda Dietz (she/her) is a senior policy researcher at the Labor Center and project director of the California Simulation of Insurance Markets microsimulation model (CalSIM). CalSIM, developed jointly with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, models the impacts of various policies on health insurance coverage in California. Miranda’s research has focused on development of the model, estimates of the uninsured, and churn in and out of insurance coverage. Miranda has also written on local enforcement of labor standards, low-wage airport workers, and temporary workers in California. She is co-editor with Michael Reich and Ken Jacobs of When Mandates Work: Raising Labor Standards at the Local Level. Miranda received a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley in 2012, and a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University.
Medi-Cal Enrollment Among Children and Teens by District and County 2024
This page provides the number and percentage of children and teens enrolled in Medi-Cal by county, congressional district, assembly district, and senate district, as of July 2024. These estimates reflect the district boundaries after the 2024 election
Medi-Cal Enrollment and Spending by District and County 2024
This page provides estimates of the number of individuals and percentage of population enrolled in Medi-Cal by county, congressional district, assembly district, and senate district, as of June 2024.
All 2.37 million Californians in the individual market will face higher premiums if Congress does not act by 2025
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) included additional federal subsidies to make health insurance more affordable in the individual market, but these expire at the end of 2025. If Congress does not extend the expanded subsidies and levels revert to those in the original Affordable Care Act, all 2.37 million Californians in the individual market—including those not receiving subsidies—would face higher health insurance premiums and be forced to choose between more expensive coverage, less generous coverage, or forgoing coverage all together and going uninsured.
Comments to Office of Health Care Affordability on the Hospital Price Problem for Workers in Monterey County
These comments were submitted to the California Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) in advance of the Board’s meeting in Monterey County on August 28, 2024. The comments describe the data and research showing that Monterey County has among the highest hospital prices in the state and country.
Thought inflation was bad? Health insurance premiums are rising even faster
“Insurance premiums have been going up faster than wages over the last 20 years,” said Miranda Dietz. Rising hospital prices are largely to blame.
Addressing the Wealth Gap: How Investors Can Impact the Stock Market Positively
Temporary workers earn 18% less than non-temporary workers and are twice as likely to live in poverty and rely on social safety nets, according to Miranda Dietz, a researcher at the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley.
Election May Decide Health Coverage Fate for Millions as Some Affordable Care Act Subsidies Are Set to Expire
The Biden-era policies contributed to the lowest rate of uninsured U.S. residents in history. If they are allowed to expire next year, experts such as Miranda Dietz said they worry that health insurance costs and the rate of uninsured Americans will increase significantly.
Biden’s Obamacare Expansion for DACA Immigrants Is Big. California’s Need Is Bigger.
“There are about half a million folks who are undocumented but earn too much for Medi-Cal, so they are uninsured,” Dietz said. “They’re also not part of DACA, because that program no longer accepts new applicants.”
More Than Half of Californians Skip or Delay Medical Care Due to Cost
“I think we know that health care is unaffordable, but to see how much that problem has gotten worse in 20 years is really something,” said Miranda Dietz, a policy research specialist at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and co-author of the report. “The costs are taking up more and more of a family’s budget.”
‘A serious erosion’ of affordability: Health costs eating a bigger chunk of household budgets in California
“It’s not just that everything is getting more expensive. It’s that health care in particular is eating up a bigger and bigger chunk of people’s budgets,” said Miranda Dietz.
Thousands of working Californians can slash health insurance premiums after IRS rule change
Nearly 391,000 of those caught in the glitch would qualify for subsidies on Covered California, the state-based insurance exchange, noted health policy researcher Miranda Dietz of the UC Berkeley Labor Center. She worked with colleagues at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research to examine the impact of the changes in IRS regulations prior to their approval.
Covered California open enrollment begins. What to know about signing up, subsidies and more
According to estimates by UCLA and UC Berkeley, Altman said, almost half a million Californians have employer-sponsored coverage that is less affordable than what they will be able to obtain now on Covered California. An additional 87,000 Californians who could be helped by the new rule are uninsured today, and about 35,000 have policies that aren’t currently subsidized.
Healthcare premiums to rise an average of 6% on California’s individual marketplace
“It makes it so it’s very disheartening to take away these extra subsidies that have been really crucial in improving affordability for folks,” Miranda Dietz said.
Californians brace for increased healthcare premiums if federal subsidies expire
Miranda Dietz, a research and policy associate at UC Berkeley Labor Center, said the significant increase in the number of Californians with health insurance over the last two years would be in jeopardy without the federal subsidies.