HEALTH ACCESS UPDATE
Tuesday, December 9th, 2003
UPCOMING HEARINGS ON HEALTH CARE
* Senate Budget Subcommittee: Wednesday in Sacramento
* Senate Health Committee: Monday in Los Angeles
* Report on Protest Today
The Senate will hold two hearing on Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts
to health and human services in the next week. Organizations and people who
will be directly affected by the cuts are invited to testify.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10th, in SACRAMENTO: Senate Budget Subcommittee on
Health and Human Services, chaired by Senator Wes Chesbro, will conduct an
informational hearing on Wednesday at the State Capitol, starting at
11:00am. The committee will reveal its analysis of the numbers of children,
people with disabilities, seniors, and others that would have their health
care denied because of these cuts.
The committee will take public testimony, on each item on the agenda, as
regular procedure. Of the fourteen items, the first is on the “Additional 10
Percent Reduction to Medi-Cal Rates & Other Programs,” and the third is
“Governor’s Proposed Cap on Enrollment for Health & Human Services
Programs.” The full agenda is at:
http://www.senate.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/COMMITTEE/STANDING/BFR/_home/Sub3/DEC102003
MIDYEAR.PDF
MONDAY, DECEMBER 15th, in LOS ANGELES: The Senate Health and Human Services
Committee, chaired by Senator Deborah Ortiz, will hold an informational
hearing on the “Structural Deficit and the Governor’s Proposed Budget
Reductions in Health and Human Services Programs” on Monday, December 15,
from 12:00noon to 3:00pm at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Chambers, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Room 381-B, 500 West Temple
Street, Los Angeles.
After opening remarks by Senator Ortiz, the program will consist of four
panels, and then end with a session for public comment. The panels are on
the four subjects:
1) Capping Enrollments in Healthy Families, Regional Centers, and AIDS
Assistance
What does this mean for families and individuals?
2) The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Residual Program
What does eliminating it mean for individuals and families?
3) Non-Core Services for Persons with Disabilities (Especially Respite)
Who uses respite services and what does it mean for them?
4) Medi-Cal Provider Rate Reduction
Will a provide rate reduction make access to health care more difficult
for individuals and families?
ATTACHED is a flyer, the first of a planned series, showing a quote from
Candidate Schwarzenegger, and Governor Schwarzenegger’s actual budget
proposal. Feel free to use.
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING: Of interest to all who watch the budget and the
rapidly changing political climate, Governor Schwarzenegger appeared today
in Sacramento with wife Maria Shriver to light the Capitol Christmas Tree.
Hundreds of families and supporters of people with developmental
disabilities came out in the drizzling rain to protest the Governor’s cut,
outnumbering a relatively small crowd that was there to witness the
ceremony. The silent protest featured people with stickers and T-shirts that
said “People with disabilities are not Waste and Fraud!” and similar
slogans. People with signs and handing out leaflets were not allowed on the
“state property” of the Capitol Park, but ringed the sidewalk.
Ironically, the Christmas tree was, by tradition, decorated with ornaments
by children with developmental disabilities, and the Governor had to speak
about the need for the very programs he is proposing to cut, right before he
assisted a child in lighting the tree. It may have been as ironic as the
Governor’s mall rallies last week, where he highlighted his budget plan that
includes borrowing $15 billion by cutting up a giant-size credit card.
—
Anthony E. Wright
Executive Director
Health Access
1127 11th St., #234, Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: 916-442-2308, Fx: 916-497-0921
awright@health-access.org