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Assembly Republicans Vote to Make Severe Health Cuts, Force Future Cuts to California's Health System
By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California
Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, released a side-by-side comparison of the cuts proposed by the Budget Conference Committee, largely supported by Democratic legislators, and another proposal supported today by Republican legislators. It is available on a budget resource page on the Health Access website.
The scorecard as a PDF is also available.
The Republican budget proposal would make devastating cuts that would not just deny health care to over a million Californians, and make millions more pay more and get less, but it would devastate the health system on which we all rely. The proposal would raise premiums and cause harm not just to our health system, but to our economy, sending hundreds of millions of federal matching funds--and jobs--to other states.
Most disturbing is the permanent changes to the budget process, that would lock in inadequate funding for health and other vital services, and force steeper cuts in the future. We all know that health care costs rise greater than inflation, so such a cap would simply force cuts every year into the future. We need a proposal that raises the revenues to prevent devastating cuts, and allows the state to meet the need of California in the future.
HEALTH IMPACTS OF THE SENATE BUDGET PROPOSAL
Health Access has a full scorecard of the health cuts proposed, and how they fared in the Conference Committee Budget Proposal-supported by the Democratic majority in both houses. With the exception of some Medi-Cal provider rate cuts for doctors, the Republican budget would make all the health cuts listed.
That means that the Republican budget would have all the consequences detailed in the recent reports:
* One million more uninsured Californians--over half of them children--who will live sicker, die younger, and be one emergency from financial ruin;
* Over 2.5 million Californians with Medi-Cal coverage paying more and getting less;
* An increase in premiums of at least $290 for those with private health coverage;
* Significant economic impacts, including lost federal matching funds coming into our economy, and lost jobs.
It also includes a strict spending cap that would force further cuts in health care, now and in the future.
• A spending cap does not take into account medical inflation, so when health care costs rise as a faster clip, that would create even more pressure to make cuts to health and other services.
• Other areas of the budget have voter-approved protections and dedicated revenue streams that health and human services largely do not, making these vital services at greater risk of cuts.
• Finally, and most importantly, a spending cap condemns us to the health care system we have. It may keep us at 49th in the nation in Medicaid per patient spending, and having one of the largest uninsured rates in the country. It would prohibit coverage expansions and health reform in general.
Health Access California is a statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition of over 200 groups. This article has also been published on the Health Access Weblog.
Comments
The more we don't provide adequately for our health program, the more our economy falls down. The standard of living will fall down. And as a consequence, USA will fall down as one of the big leader of The World. We protect the few in exchange for the many who serve for the few.
Posted by: Domingo dela Cruz at September 10, 2008 08:39 AM
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