NATIONAL
Congress Adjourns with Unfinished Business
The appropriations process for fiscal year 2003, which began on October 1, 2002, is still not complete. Not having finished the appropriations process before adjourning, Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund all federal government programs at current levels until January 11, 2003. Any proposed increases or decreases in agency budgets for FY 2003 are on hold at least until early next year when the new Congress convenes. When the new session begins, congressional leaders and the White House may seek passage of a massive appropriations package, known as an omnibus bill, establishing annual funding levels for a broad array of federal programs. Meanwhile, the White House has begun to prepare its fiscal year 2004 budget request to Congress, which will be unveiled in February 2003.
Congressman Robert A. Underwood of Guam ends 10 years in Congress
Guam's delegate to Washington, Robert Underwood, is wrapping up 10 years in the House of Representatives. Underwood has been characterized as Guam's third most powerful and influential person and a tireless promoter of Guam's right to self-determination. But Underwood also used his considerable influence and intellect to benefit all Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans. In 1996, Congressman Underwood gained national media attention with his stand against Congressional English-only legislation, recommending, with tongue in cheek, that Congress go a step further to mandate ketchup as the nation's only official condiment. His passions in the areas of language preservation and cultural rights have been the hallmarks of Underwood's activism. He was appointed to the Chamorro Language Commission in 1977 and served as its chairman for more than 12 years. He was written five Chamorro culture and language texts for school children.
Congressman Underwood has consistently assumed the leadership on issues important to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. During the 106th Congress (1999-2000), he served as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. As chair, he held briefings on health issues, racial profiling, and the educational conditions of the national Asian Pacific American community. He continued to work on these issues even after his tenure as Chair. His leadership led to the inclusion of Pacific Islanders and permanent legal residents in the Gates Millennium Scholarship program, and was instrumental in the formation of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum would like to extend its many thanks to Congressman Underwood and his hard working staff for their leadership and dedication. We will miss you and wish you all well in your new endeavors.
CALIFORNIA
Governor Proposes $10.2 Billion in Mid-Year Cuts to Health and Other Programs
Stating that the anticipated recovery of the economy has not materialized as projected, Governor Davis released his proposal to further cut spending in a number of areas, including health and human services in the current fiscal year. The proposal, released December 6, includes substantial cuts to programs for low-income Californians. The proposal does not include revenue increases as called for by fellow Democrats.
Department of Health Services - Reductions include:
Rescission of 1931(b) Medi-Cal Eligibility Expansion ($12.4 million in 2002-03, $235.0 million in 2003-04, and $985.1 million after full implementation) – Beginning April 1, 2003, eligibility of Medi-Cal to families would be limited to those with incomes up to 61% of the Federal Poverty Level, compared to 100% previously. According to the California Budget Project, estimates suggest that almost 150,000 parents, mainly new applicants, would lose coverage by rescinding the eligibility expansion during a full fiscal year.
Medi-Cal Optional Benefits ($63.3 million in 2002-03) – Dental services, medical supplies, podiatry, acupuncture, chiropractic services, psychology, independent rehabilitation centers, and occupational therapy would be eliminated for adults, effective April 1, 2003. Elimination of the adult dental coverage will likely jeopardize the entire Medi-Cal dental provider infrastructure.
Reinstatement of Medi-Cal Quarterly Status Reports ($170.1 million in 2002-03) – Families receiving Medi-Cal would be required to submit quarterly eligibility status reports beginning April 1, 2003. Estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities find that 247,000 persons who qualify for Medi-Cal would unnecessarily lose health coverage during the year if quarterly reports were reinstated.
Medi-Cal Provider Rate Reductions ($90.4 million in 2002-03) – Medi-Cal provider rates, including rates for physicians, nursing homes and adult day health centers, would be reduced by 10% effective April 1, 2003. Advocates fear reductions will create further barriers to accessing providers.
Cancer Research ($6.3 million) – State funding to the Cancer Research program would be reduced by over one-half.
Prostate Cancer Treatment ($10 million) – Funding for prostate cancer treatment from the Tobacco Settlement Fund would be reduced by one-half.
Eliminate the Gynecologic Cancer Information Program ($150,000) – This program, which would develop and distribute health educations materials for gynecologic cancer, would be eliminated.
Outreach and Media Campaigns for Medi-Cal, Healthy Families ($1.9 million in 2002-03) – Outreach and media campaign activities to increase enrollment in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, as well as application assistance training would be eliminated.
In addition, the following cuts have been proposed for other health and human service departments:
Department of Developmental Services - $143.7 million
Department of Social Services - $24.8 million
Department of Rehabilitation - $21.8 million
Department of Child Support Services - $9.7 million
Department of Mental Health - $4.8 million
Department of Aging - $2.5 million
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs - $1.5 million
Department of Community Services and Development - $1.5 million
Health and Human Services Data Center - $0.47 million
Download the Governor’s Mid-Year Spending Reduction Proposals.
Additional analyses are available at the California Budge Project’s website.
CHIS 2001 Offers New Source of Health Information on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
At a daylong event sponsored by APIAHF and other partners in Oakland on December 9, researchers and community leaders gathered to discuss exciting new opportunities for obtaining information on the health of AAPI communities through the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2001. Data is now available on a broad range of public health concerns, including health status and conditions, health-related behaviors (such as mammography, prostate cancer screening and tobacco use), health insurance coverage, access to health care services, and other issues. CHIS 2001 is unique in that it is one of the largest surveys in the country and collected information from 55,428 households. Further, CHIS 2001 interviews were conducted in six languages (English, Spanish, Chinese - Mandarin and Cantonese dialects - Korean, Vietnamese, and Khmer) and attempts were made to oversample smaller populations to provide a first-ever look at the state’s ethnic and linguistic diversity.
CHIS 2001 data is available free to the public through the AskCHIS Data Query System at http://chis.ucla.edu.
For more information, contact the APIAHF Policy Division staff:
Gem Daus, Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator, GDaus@apiahf.org
