Today, the Senate Committee on Health, chaired by Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez, met and took up ABx1 1 (Speaker Perez), which as amended will implement the Medi-Cal expansion in federal health reform. The bill passed out of committee with a vote of 7-2.
Health Access testified in support of ABx1 1 (Speaker Perez), declaring that the bill will make it easier for people to enroll in Medi-Cal and stay enrolled. The point that ABx1 1 (Speaker Perez) improves upon the ACA by providing wrap around services for immigrants and pregnant women who get their coverage from the Health Exchange was also noted in committee.
Senator Monning weighed in and declared that ABx1 1 (Speaker Perez) represents an incredible historic moment in working towards health care for all. While highlighting the historic nature of ABx1 1 (Speaker Perez), Monning also pointed out the work left to do, especially for excluded undocumented individuals who make a valuable contribution to our society. Senator Monning acknowledged that there is a simultaneous effort to ensure counties have the resources they need to ensure undocumented individuals are provided health care coverage.
In his closing remarks, Speaker Perez expressed confidence that the Legislature will come to a compromise with the Governor on covering the county safety net and the remaining uninsured. Companion measure SB x1 1(Hernandez/Steinberg) passed out of Assembly Health Committee yesterday with a vote of 13-5. Both bills are headed to the fiscal committee in their respective house for further analysis and deliberation.