Action Required:
California budget cuts likely to have major impact on the health of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Please contact Governor Davis and Your State Legislator Immediately. Copy the sample letter onto your own letterhead and fax to:
The Honorable Gray Davis
Governor of the State of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-445-4633
To find the contact information for your legislator visit: www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
Deadline:
Governor Davis is expected to release his proposed fiscal year 2003-2004 budget on Friday, January 10. Please send letters and make phone calls to the Governor before this date. After January 10th, the legislature will be considering the proposed cuts, as well as options for revenue increases. Please also contact your legislator as soon as possible.
Background:
Governor Proposes $10.2 Billion in 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.
Fewer Californians Will be Eligible for Medi-Cal – Beginning April 1, 2003, eligibility of Medi-Cal to families would be limited to those with incomes only up to 61% of the Federal Poverty Level, compared to 100% previously.
Fewer Benefits for Those That Do Qualify – Dental services, medical supplies, podiatry, acupuncture, chiropractic services, psychology, independent rehabilitation centers, and occupational therapy would be eliminated for adults, effective April 1, 2003.
More Paperwork – 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.
Harder to Get Information and Apply – Outreach and media campaign activities to increase enrollment in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, as well as application assistance training would be eliminated.
To view the Governor’s Mid-Year Spending Reduction Proposals, download the proposal in PDF format at www.dof.ca.gov
Additional analyses are available at the California Budge Project’s website: www.cbp.org .
For More Information, contact:
Jan T. Liu, Policy Analyst
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
450 Sutter Street, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94108 Tel: 415.954.9952
Fax: 415.954.9999
