Press Releases
UWCA Applauds Signing of AB1422 Which Prevents 1 Million Kids from Losing Access to Health Coverage
Los Los Angeles, CA
Peter Manzo, President & CEO of United Ways of California today issued the following statement in response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s signing of AB 1422, a bipartisan bill passed through the Legislature on September 3, 2009, aimed at restoring nearly $100 million previously cut from the Healthy Families Program, California’s low- and no-cost health insurance program for children:
“With the Governor’s signature of AB 1422 today, nearly 1 million California children will now maintain access to their health coverage. The move couldn’t come at a more critical time, as 70,000 children had been denied access to Healthy Families and health coverage since July and hundreds of thousands more had been expected to lose access to coverage this year.
Healthy Families Enrollment Freeze Lifted
More than 88,000 children on waitlist to be enrolled, beginning tomorrow
Sacramento, CA
Today, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB), which administers the Healthy Families Program, voted to rescind the Program waitlist which has been in place since July 17 of this year. Additionally, MRMIB will no longer need to disenroll children in the Program as previously planned. The ability to discontinue the waitlist and keep enrolled children in the Program is a result of First 5 California’s contribution and the Legislature’s passage of AB 1422, which the Governor is scheduled to sign soon.
Big Five Proposed Budget is the Single Biggest Cut to Children's Health in History
Healthy Families Cuts Will Cause 785,000 Children to be Denied Access to Health Coverage
Sacramento, CA
A statement from Peter Manzo, President and CEO of United Ways of California:
"The proposed budget deal crafted by the Governor and the heads of the Assembly and Senate shows a colossal failure of leadership that constitutes an irresponsible and cruel blow to California's children's health. With budget cuts to the Healthy Families program expanding to $144 million, a total of 785,000 children are expected to be denied health coverage, resulting in the single largest health coverage cut to children in our nation's history.The Clock is Ticking: 63,000 Children Lose Access to Health Coverage in One Month
A Total of 1 Million Will Lose Coverage This Year if Budget Cuts to Healthy Families Are Not Restored
August 21, 2009 Los Angeles, CA
A recent meeting of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB), the agency that oversees the Healthy Families Program, brought little good news for children who depend on the program. Irresponsible budget cuts by the Legislature and Governor left Healthy Families with a $194 million shortfall. While First 5 California stepped up and committed $81.4 million to help address the funding shortfall, it was not enough for MRMIB to stop denying access to new enrollments or to forgo plans to begin disenrolling children from Healthy Families on October 1. It is estimated that 1 million children could be denied access to coverage this year unless sufficient funding is found to avoid waitlists and disenrollments.
Children At Risk Of Losing Health Coverage Under Governor’s Budget Proposal
Los Angeles, CA May 20, 2009
Peter Manzo, President & CEO of United Ways of California, issued the following statement in response to the failure of the six Special Election ballot measures and the current May Revise budget proposal on the table:
“With the failure of the May 19 Special Election ballot measures, the Governor’s May Revise proposals that would eliminate healthcare coverage for more than 225,000 children are now officially on the table. This proposal would do permanent harm to the health of hundreds of thousands of children and is simply unacceptable.
