Maribel Nunez, California Partnership
COACHELLA, CA—On April 11, advocates, health professionals, and community members came out in support of immediately expanding California’s health care access under the Affordable Care Act. Gov. Jerry Brown has committed to the Medi-Cal expansion, but he also has proposed 63 pages of amendments intended to preserve administrative barriers to access of coverage. On the other hand, California Legislature’s Bills AB1x1 and SB1x1 proposals would take full advantage of the new opportunities and federal funds provided under the Affordable Care Act.
The governor’s amendments means some Californians may end up not being covered as quickly, paying more, or with fewer health care options. Other issues that have stalled the bill is that the governor wants to reallocate money from counties, including public hospitals in spite of the fact that while the Affordable Care Act will reduce the number of uninsured in California by one-half to two-thirds, 3 to 4 million people will remain uninsured.
Health care officials, advocates, and families came together in rallies in Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Coachella, urging state’s elected officials to act quickly to prevent hundreds of millions of federal dollars from being lost if California fails to fully implement The Affordable care Act by January 1, 2014, and asked that the state continue its commitment to provide access to care for all Californians through its key safety-net institutions.
The fiscally prudent path for California is also one of aggressive action. The federal government is fully funding the coverage for newly eligible consumers for the first three years—and will pay 90 percent after that.Each person we don’t enroll in January translates into money California leaves unclaimed in Washington. It should be a statewide goal to get all of the elements in place as soon as possible, and to encourage mass enrollment on day one. With six months to open enrollment in October, the governor should fully and urgently seize this opportunity to expand Medi-Cal, because it will get more Californians care, transform our health system and bring in more federal money to our state. Enacting these bills will provide a sense of security for all Californians, so that even if someone is laid off or loses their source of income, they will get the health care they need.
Currently, the expansion of the Medi-Cal program has been stalled in Sacramento, putting in jeopardy access to care for over one million uninsured Californians that would have health coverage if the expansion started now. The Medi-Cal expansion legislation needs to be in place as soon as possible for the state to be ready to enroll new Medi-Cal clients by January 1, 2014. Every month it is delayed, California will lose hundreds of millions of federal dollars and California will have left people uninsured.
At the April 11 Coachella Press Conference, Clinicas de Salud de Pueblo, El Sol Promotores, Lideres Campesinos, Pueblo Unido, United Domestic Workers, and Coachella Senior Center and others called for the State of California to start now with the medical expansion included in the Affordable Care Act.
