A new research brief from Mathematica Policy Research examines characteristics and experiences of users of Health-e-Application Public Access (HeA PA), a fully automated, web-based application for California's Healthy Families Program and a screener for its Medi-Cal program. Key findings from the brief include:

-HeA PA users are very similar in terms of age and income to applicants who used paper or assisted online applications.
-HeA PA users, however, have a strong preference to communicate in English, suggesting online portals are not the best way to reach Spanish-speakers.
-HeA PA users are internet savvy and comfortable with built-in online help features.

For states that are building or updating their enrollment systems, the California experience provides insight on who is likely to use an online enrollment portal.