The State Legislature passed the final 2021-2022 health budget bill (AB 133) that includes historic investments in expanding and improving health coverage for millions of Californians. It now goes to Governor Newsom for his final signature in the coming days. Many of the proposals included in this budget bill were key priorities of the Care4All California coalition of over 70 consumer, community, labor, progressive, and health care organizations working to advance the goal of quality affordable health care for all Californians as soon as possible. The coalition supported these investments which, working together, represent important steps to a more universal, equitable, and affordable health care system in California. These organizations pushed for key proposals to improve Medi-Cal and reduce health care disparities for low-income […] Read More
Undocumented
CA Governor & State Legislature Strike Budget Deal with Major Steps Towards a More Universal Health Care System
June 28, 2021The state legislative leaders announced the outlines of a 2021-2022 budget agreement with Governor Newsom that includes funding for a more universal, equitable, and affordable, health care system. The final deal includes historic investments in our health system, including a first-in-the-nation end to the exclusion of income-eligible undocumented adults age 50 and over in Medi-Cal. #Health4All By opening up Medi-Cal coverage to all income-eligible Californians age 50 and over regardless of immigration status, California is not just making our health system more universal and equitable, but stronger and more resilient for all of us. Especially after a pandemic, our health care system works better when anyone who calls California home can access comprehensive and preventative health care. So many of these immigrants have contributed over […] Read More
California Legislature Passes Their 2021 – 2022 Budget with Steps Towards A More Universal Health Care System. Deal On Final Budget Must Still Be Reached With Governor Newsom.
June 15, 2021Yesterday, the California State Assembly and State Senate voted to pass a 2021-2022 state budget that includes funding for a more universal, equitable, and affordable, health care system. While the Legislature is in agreement on this version of the budget, negotiations continue with Governor Newsom on a final deal. On June 1, the state legislature announced a joint budget proposal that aligned on a number of key health care proposals, which is what was passed today. It includes historic investments in our health system, including a plan for the first-in-the-nation end to the exclusion of income-eligible undocumented adults age 50 and over in Medi-Cal. The Governor’s May Revision included a proposal to end this exclusion for those 60 and over. […] Read More
Major Steps This Week Towards #Health4All
May 28, 2021
We’ve made big strides this week on covering more Californians regardless of immigration status, but there’s more to do! Legislature makes push for 50+ On Wednesday, state Senate budget subcommittee 3 on Health & Human Services and the state Assembly budget subcommittee 1 on Health & Human Services took votes on their respective legislative budget proposals. Together, the state Senate and Assembly budgets are aligned on a significant investments to remove exclusions in Medi-Cal for all income eligible Californians age 50 and over, regardless of immigration status. This is a bigger step than proposed by Governor Newsom in his May Revision where he proposed removing the exclusion for age 60 and over. According to a recent LAO report, covering undocumented residents age 50 and over would […] Read More
CA Governor Newsom’s May Budget: Key Health Takeaways
May 17, 2021On Friday, May 14th 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled the 2021-22 May Revision of the state budget, which includes some important investments to improve and expand our health care system, but also missed major opportunities for further expansion and improvement, especially given the size of the surplus. This budget recognizes that our health system is better when everyone has access to coverage, including primary and preventative care, and we will continue to advocate with the Legislature to improve access and affordability in both Medi-Cal and Covered California. We should take this opportunity to get as close as possible a universal health care system, which we realize is more urgent than ever post-pandemic. Prior to the Governor’s May revision, the California […] Read More
New #CABudget Provides Urgent Short-Term COVID-19 Help, But Long-Term Investments Still Needed for State’s Recovery
January 12, 2021
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled the January proposal for the 2021-22 State Budget. The budget provides needed short-term investments to help Californians in crisis, but more ongoing and long-term support will be necessary to move California down the road towards health and economic recovery. We still urge the CA state legislature to look at what more can be done for Californians to get care and coverage that is desperately needed in this pandemic and its aftermath. The success of our health and economic recovery depends not just on these upfront investments, but our ongoing commitments to care, coverage and public health. This proposed budget includes a range of specific investments in response to the COVID-19 crisis, including $372 million […] Read More
Twenty Takeaways from 2020
December 23, 2020Protecting Our Progress and Confronting the Challenges of COVID-19 Like most Californians, we had high hopes for progress in 2020. The year began in earnest with the implementation of expanded access and affordability to coverage for hundreds of thousands of Californians, and ambitious plans to increase health industry oversight to control costs, improve quality and equity, and win key patient protections. When the pandemic hit in March, Health Access doubled-down on our commitment to protect California consumers, adapting quickly to the many changes in our health system and in response to COVID-19. This meant pausing some of our larger-scale efforts in the short-term in order to fight for consumer protections and access to care during a pandemic-induced economic downturn and […] Read More
#CABudget Votes This Week Include Major Health Investments and Expansions
June 25, 2019This week, the Assembly and Senate are poised to pass key health expansions as part of the overall 2019-20 Budget. The votes taken today and this week will advance health care reforms that were negotiated by the Governor and legislative leaders. Governor Newsom has until July 1 to sign the budget, which will make official the provision of new financial help to around one million Californians, starting in 2020, a major expansion of coverage for hundreds of thousands of Californians. Here are comments describing the practical impacts of these investments for California consumers: This year’s state budget provides new help to hundreds of thousands of Californians to better access and afford health coverage in our high cost of living state. […] Read More
#Health4All Bills Introduced in California State Legislature on First Day of Session
December 3, 2018Elevating the urgency of health care access for all communities, Senators Ricardo Lara and Maria Elena Durazo, and Assemblymembers Dr. Joaquin Arambula, Rob Bonta, and David Chiu introduced two #Health4All bills on the first official day of the new 2019 legislative session. The two bills, SB 29 and AB 4, are a top priority for immigrant rights and health care advocates and would provide full-scope Medi-Cal to low-income undocumented adults by removing immigration status as an eligibility exclusion. While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has significantly reduced California’s uninsured rate to less than 7%, 1.4 million Californians are locked out of health coverage because of their immigration status. Undocumented Californians are the largest, single group of uninsured individuals in the […] Read More
Rescinding DACA is a Health Care Catastrophe for California
September 5, 2017Immigrants are a critical part of our nation’s history and society, and our health system is stronger when everyone is included.