Member Update

The well attended “Save Medi-Cal Optional Benefits Rally” by the California Primary Care Association took place on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, on the west steps of the State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Representatives from many clinics and safety-net facilities across the state raised their voices on budget cuts to Medi-Cal optional benefits that pay for optical, dental, and podiatry services for more than 3 million low income Californians.

The speakers sent a clear message to legislators about who will be directly affected by these cuts. Highlights from the event were speeches by Medi-Cal patient and member of the California Alliance for Retired Americans, Edith Halberg; CEO of Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Joel Garcia; and the Honorable Wilma Chan, Former Assemblywoman and Vice President of Policy at Children Now.

A quote reiterated throughout the rally came from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., where he stated, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."

We hope the State Legislature listens to the voices of millions of Californians who could not be at the rally, but were represented, and we hope they understand that people who rely on Medi-Cal services cannot withstand the burden of the State's budget deficit through the cuts taking place.

The elimination of these benefits will have dire consequences on the communities served by critical access hospitals, community health centers, and other providers in rural and urban areas. Our compassion and concern goes out to all of California's heroes, serving some of our most vulnerable populations, and making an enormous difference in the lives of many.

A lawsuit filed by CPCA, Southern Trinity Health Services and Clinicas del Camino Real objecting the cuts was ruled against by a Sacramento Superior Court on June 24, 2009. Click here for that story.

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