What's New Leaders Oppose Elimination of Healthy Families
Leaders Oppose Elimination of Healthy Families
June 25, 2012
Re: Proposed Elimination of Healthy Families and Transfer of Children into Medi-Cal
Governor Brown and Members of the California Legislature:
The undersigned leaders of organizations representing children, health providers, and clinics urge you to vote no on provisions in the Trailer Bill related to the Healthy Families Program. In a budget decision different from what the Legislature approved in the budget it sent to the Governor, the agreement reached on June 20 regarding Trailer Bill provisions for Healthy Families needlessly jeopardizes access to health care for California’s children by eliminating the Healthy Families Program and shifting nearly 900,000 children into Medi-Cal.
This decision recklessly puts at risk the health of millions of California’s children. Medi-Cal already faces serious challenges in providing access to care for its enrollees and is straining to adequately serve them. By putting increased pressure on an already very fragile Medi-Cal system, this plan will endanger the health of as many as 4.5 million children – those who now rely on Medi-Cal as well as the additional Healthy Families children who would transition into Medi-Cal within a very short timeframe.
The decision is also flawed from a budget standpoint. In order to score savings of $13 million in the upcoming fiscal year ($58 million and $73 million in future years), this plan jeopardizes the opportunity to draw down nearly $200 million for each of the next two years through a continuation of the Managed Care Organization (MCO) assessment. This is an unsound fiscal move that makes no budget sense for California.
Our organizations oppose this move because it would be harmful to children and to the state’s fiscal health. We respectfully ask the Legislature and the Governor to remove the Healthy Families elimination and transfer plan reflected in the Trailer Bill.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Lesley Cummings, former Executive Director, Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (2004-2010)
Sam Burg, DDS, pediatric dentist from Santa Maria, CA
ACT for Women and Girls
American Academy of Pediatrics - California District
AspiraNet
Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action
Cal-Islanders Humanitarian Association
California Academy of Family Physicians
California Black Health Network
California Children’s Hospital Association
California Coverage & Health Initiatives
California Family Resource Association
California Immigrant Policy Center
California Latinas for Reproductive Justice
California Medical Association
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
California Primary Care Association
California School Health Centers Association
California State PTA
California State Rural Health Association
Central Valley Health Network
Children Now
Children’s Defense Fund-California
Children’s Health Initiative of Santa Barbara County
Children’s Specialty Care Coalition
Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, Inc.
Community Health Councils, Inc.
Community Health Partnership
Congregations Building Community - Modesto
Congregations Organizing for Renewal
Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas en Norteamérica (COFEM)
Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization
EQUAL Health Network
Faith in Community - Fresno
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
Fresno Center for New Americans
Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM)
Greater Long Beach Area Interfaith Community Organization
Greenlining Institute
Guam Communications Network
Health Access California
Healthy House
Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County
Healthy Kids Healthy Future Regional Children's Health Initiative
Hmong Health Collaborative
Inland Congregations United for Change
LA Voice
Lao Family Community Empowerment, Inc.
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
Latino Health Alliance
LIFETIME
Local Health Plans of California
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health
Merced Organizing Project
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
MomsRising
Oakland Community Organization
Orange County Congregation Community Organization
Nana’s Wish
National Council of Jewish Women
Peninsula Interfaith Action
People Acting in Community Together (PACT) San Jose
People Acting in Community Together (PACT) Stockton
PICO California
Placer People of Faith Together
Santa Barbara County Children’s Oral Health Collaborative Executive Committee
Sacramento Area Congregations Together
San Francisco Organizing Project
Southeast Asian Assistance Center
Street Level Health Project
The Children’s Partnership
United Ways of California
Venice Family Clinic
Visión y Compromiso
Peninsula Interfaith Action
People Acting in Community Together (PACT) San Jose
People Acting in Community Together (PACT) Stockton
PICO California
Placer People of Faith Together
Santa Barbara County Children’s Oral Health Collaborative Executive Committee
Sacramento Area Congregations Together
San Francisco Organizing Project
Southeast Asian Assistance Center
Street Level Health Project
The Children’s Partnership
United Ways of California
Venice Family Clinic
Visión y Compromiso