(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno), chair of the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), chair of the Health Committee, and Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), chair of the Budget Committee, are pleased to announce a $1 billion investment to fund significant improvements in California’s health care system through the Assembly’s budget proposal.
By approving these actions prior to the May Revision—among the first major budget actions this year—Assembly Democrats are showing that improving the health care system is one of its key priorities.
“Building on the 6 months’ work of the Assembly’s Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage, this funding package will be a major step forward in California taking the lead to expand coverage, increase access, address workforce capacity issues, improve accountability and transparency and make health care more affordable for the middle class,” said Arambula.
This funding will support several items that will establish a refundable tax credit to make premiums more affordable for middle class Californians; expand coverage for undocumented youth ages 19-25, consistent with the ACA coverage of dependent children up to age 26; expand Medi-Cal enrollment for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, allocate funding to increase the number of physicians and medical students to address the workforce shortage; and create an all-payer payments data base which can be used to create transparency in pricing and as a means to contain costs.
“These are meaningful actions we can take right now to improve health care for all Californians that will also move us toward the long-term goal of a creating a unified publicly financed health care system in our state,” said Wood.
“I am pleased with the comprehensive and thoughtful proposals put forth to improve our health care system in California,” said Ting. “I look forward to continuing our work to ensure that all Californians have the health care they need when they need it.”
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