Don’t Let Us Go Backwards
Throughout this blog series on health disparities, my fellow contributors and I have stressed the importance of looking beyond health coverage in our efforts to address health inequities. And while I still maintain that the solution will not be found in an exam room, the proposed cuts to California’s public coverage programs pose a massive step backwards in our work toward health equity.
Facing a $24 billion deficit, the Governor has called for the elimination of Healthy Families and $750 million to $1 billion in cuts to Medi-Cal, changes that are estimated to cause almost 2 million Californians (mostly children) to lose their health coverage.
And with 84% of the Healthy Families and Med-Cal recipients compromised of people of color, we can quickly conclude who will bear the burden of these cuts, and how they will exacerbate the health disparities our communities already experience.
These cuts, if enacted, would represent the most profound roll-back of health care coverage in California’s history, and would pose a devastating set back to our national efforts to expand medical coverage to more Americans.
So, what can be done and how is this relevant to national health care reform? First, in the midst of the national effort to EXPAND coverage, the federal government should not allow any state to cut its public programs, as currently stipulated in the stimulus package. Those provisions were included for a reason, and California should not be given a waiver to do otherwise.
Second, maybe as a first step toward reform, the federal government might need to give some states an additional “hand up.” I understand that while we got ourselves into this mess with California’s poorly structured budget process, until we can repeal the two-thirds vote requirement, we’re going to need help to keep us from sliding backwards. A lot of it, and fast.
Third, we need to start thinking about taxes as an investment in our infrastructure and for the common good. In the debate over California’s budget crisis and national reform, who is going to pay is a central question. The answer is that everyone should pay, based on the resources they have. We need to create an equitable tax structure that will keep California thriving and fund national health reform. We all suffer when people do not get the health care they need.
And lastly, a word on prevention: we would not have some of these skyrocketing health care costs in the first place if we prioritized creating an environment where it is easy for everyone to stay healthy. Let’s make sure it is part of national reform.
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