- HOME
- About
- Topics
- Angelides
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- California Attorney General Race
- California Congressional Races
- California Democratic Party
- California Governor Race 2010
- California Legislative Races
- California Lt. Governor Race
- California Secretary of State Race
- California State Budget
- California State Controller
- Campaign Finance Reform
- Campaigns
- Cell Phones
- Children and Families
- Consumer Rights
- Corporate Accountability
- Criminal Justice
- Death With Dignity
- Disaster Preparation
- Discrimination and Civil Rights
- Economy/ Economic Crisis
- Education
- Elections and Voting
- Electoral College
- Energy
- Environment
- Farm Animal Cruelty Ballot Measure
- Flood Control
- Food Safety
- Gas Prices
- Governor's Election Race
- Gun control
- Health Care
- Health Insurance
- Hiram Johnson's Corner
- Housing
- Human Rights
- Humor
- Immigration
- Infrastructure
- Initiative Reform
- Insurance Commissioner Race
- Labor
- Language and Politics
- Legal System
- Media and Communication
- Minimum Wage
- Open Government
- Pharmaceutical Companies
- Politics
- Preschool
- Presidential Election 2008
- Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act Prop
- Prison Reform
- Privacy
- Privitization
- Prop 11-Redistricting/Reapportionment
- Prop 12--Veterans Housing Bond
- Prop 1A--High Speed Rail
- Prop 2--Treatment of Farm Animals
- Prop 3-Children's Hospital Bonds
- Prop 4 Waiting Period and Parental Notification
- Prop 5--Non-violent drug offenses
- Prop 6--Police and law enforcement spending
- Prop 7 and 10-Alternative Fuel and Energy Bond
- Prop 8 and-Marriage Equality
- Prop 85 Parental Notification
- Prop 86 Tobacco Tax
- Prop 87--Alternative Energy
- Prop 9 Parole
- Prop 90
- Prop 91--Transportation Funding
- Prop 92- Community Colleges
- Prop 93--Term Limits
- Props 94-97--Tribal Gaming
- Props 98 and 99
- Racial Disparities
- Responsible Lending
- Retirement Benefits
- Site of the Day
- Solar Initiative
- Structure of California Government
- Taxes
- Toxic Chemicals
- Transportation/Transit
- Water
- Westly
- Workers' Compensation
- Stories
- Governor Signs Legislation To Prevent Loss Of Healthy Families Coverage For Over 900,000 Children
- Townhall Meeting Focuses on At-Risk Babies and Toddlers
- State Park Cuts Lack Logic
- Conservation Organizations Oppose California Policy That Would Give Carbon Credits for Forest Clearcutting
- WellPoint and Its Subsidiary Have Waged Campaign to Derail Health Reform
- Article Repeats Right-Wing Myth About State Spending
- Can Obama Orate His Way Out of Another Crisis?
- Furlough Issue Comes To Head This Week at UC
- Sean Hannity Spreads Dangerous Misinformation about California Water
- Daring To Get It Right: Legislature Says 'No' To Dangerous Last Minute Water Policy Proposal
- Weekly Radio Address: Galgiani, Coto Report Progress In Bipartisan Delegation’s Meetings With Key Cabinet Officials And Congressional Leaders On Budgetary And Policy Issues Critical To California
- A Missed Opportunity: Economic Recovery Should Start With the Prisons
- Directory
- Donate
- Contact Us
RSS Advertise Here
Deliver your message to thousands of readers every day.
Our readers are influential opinion makers - politicians, journalists and activists.
Our latest headlines
- Weekly Radio Address: Assembly Lead Water Negotiators Huffman, Caballero Discuss this Week’s Historic Agreement to Solve California’s Water Crisis
- Feinstein Once Again Flirts With Entering the Governor’s Race
- A Good Health Care Bill Emerging from the House
- Schwarzenegger Applauds Passage of Peripheral Canal/Dams Water Package
- "Historic" Water Deal Draws Both Praise and Criticism
- Republican State Senators Vote for Administrative Chaos, Backdoor Cuts in IHSS
- Assembly Budget Committee Follow-up Informational Hearing on Implementation on IHSS Program Changes
About Us
David Greenwald, Editor. (Contact David.)
CFC Education Foundation, Publisher. (Contact us.)
Got a news tip? Want to write a guest column?
Contact David here.
About California Progress Report.
Founded by Frank D. Russo (Publisher and Editor, 2006-08).
Sponsors
Books
Huge Health Care Cuts Hit Beginning Today
By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California
As we wait to see the news about a possible budget deal--and the prospects of more and more cuts--it's important to note that the ramifications of past cuts are just being felt in a widespread manner.
Today, July 1st, the inability to raise revenues to solve California ’s budget crisis will hit home will millions of Californians, with parents, seniors and people with disabilities that lose dental and other key benefits. Health Access has a revised fact sheet on our website that describes the eliminated benefits, and their fiscal, health, and human impacts.
Let's be clear: Millions of Californians will live sicker and die younger as a result of these cuts. These budget cuts reflects choices, and it is sad that our policymakers chose to cut off millions of Californians from basic care, rather than finding the revenues needed to maintain these needed services.
The elimination of these benefits also mean we lose significant more dollars in federal matching funds, meaning the cut to our health system is magnified. Not only will hundreds of thousands incur significant medical debt, and other will simply not get needed care, but the lack of these preventative care will impose broader costs on the health system in the long run.
The benefits that will be eliminated tomorrow include:
* DENTAL CARE, including routine teeth cleanings and x-rays as well as procedures such as root canals. Certain dental procedures, such as tooth extractions, which can be performed by a physician, will still be covered if the beneficiary can find a doctor who will do the procedure. Patients impacted in a given year: 909,090
* OPTICIAN SERVICES and optical lab services, which include the filling of and fittings for prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses. Patients impacted in a given year: 485,873
* OPTOMETRY SERVICES provided by an optometrist, include routine eye examinations and other preventive screenings. Some procedures will still covered, at a higher expense to Medi-Cal, when provided by an ophthalmologist. Patients impacted in a given year: 214,522
* PODIATRY SERVICES, which refer to the care and treatment of feet, are important in helping people remain mobile. Patients impacted in a given year: 85,129
* INCONTINENCE CREAMS AND WASHES, which are prescribed to help incontinent patients keep their skin clean and dry, and to avoid irritation and infection. Patients impacted in a given year: 65,591
* ACUPUNCTURE SERVICES, which is the use of small needles to treat pain and other health problems, and is an important alternative to pharmaceutical treatments. Patients impacted in a given year: 32,906
* AUDIOLOGY SERVICES, including hearing aids, and the services to screen, diagnose, and evaluate the need for hearing aids will only be limited to those performed by physicians as part of a routine exam. Patients impacted in a given year: 28,061
* CHIROPRACTIC SERVICES, which can help treat and lessen chronic back pain. Patients impacted in a given year: 12,439
* MENTAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY SERVICES and behavioral therapy services by a psychologist (previously limited to two treatments per month), unless the patient is severely mentally ill. Patients impacted in a given year: 4,970
* SPEECH THERAPY SERVICES provided by speech therapists. Patients impacted in a given year: 1,593
For the revised Health Access one-page chart that further details the fiscal, health, human, and system impacts of the elimination of these Medi-Cal benefits, visit the Health Access website.
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
I have spinal problems and I need regular chiropractic care. I am here legally, work, and pay over $340 a month for my health care. Yet for me chiropractic and acupuncture are not a covered benefits. Hard for me to feel sympathy for illegal immigrants who complain that now they will not get free chiropractic care and acupuncture. It is a question of fairness, folks. P.S., I am 67 years old.
Posted by: larry at July 1, 2009 08:12 AM
UMMM, illegal immigrants get allot of free services, but medi-cal is NOT one of them.
Posted by: cord at July 7, 2009 09:52 PM
Sorry, comments are temporarily disabled. We're doing a bit of server maintenance on the commenting area. We'll be back up and running shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Get Email Updates
Want the California Progress Report by email? Once a week, we'll send you the latest and greatest headlines.
© 2008 California Progress Report Our copyright and fair use policy.
Powered by Mandate Media. Logo design by Jane Norling.
