CBS8: Democratic leaders, healthcare providers sound alarm against potential Medi-Cal cuts
By Kelly Hessedal
Healthcare providers and parents raised concerns Wednesday about potential cuts to the state’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal.
They met with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and U.S. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs at Rady Children’s Hospital for a roundtable discussion. They vowed to fight back against potential cuts to Medicaid.
“As a health system, we see over 1.6 million pediatric visits a year,” Patrick Frias, the CEO of Rady Children’s Health, said. “When you think 50 percent of kids we serve are Medicaid beneficiaries, that’s a significant proportion of our patients. We’re talking about a lot of families and children that could be impacted by this.”
The Trump administration has promised to slice $880 billion out of the next budget. Experts say that will mean major cuts to Medicaid, which funds Medi-Cal.
“It’s not just a dollar figure, a percentage, a statistic when it comes to Medicaid, it’s families. It’s children,” Senator Padilla said.
According to his office, 15 million Californians are enrolled in the program, which covers almost 40 percent of the state. It provides healthcare for low-income and disabled people.
Adelia Aguilar brought her 5-year-old daughter Delilah to Wednesday’s discussion. Delilah was born with special needs. She is one of the more than 5 million kids enrolled in the state’s Medi-Cal program. Her mom says being able to bring her daughter to Rady’s for treatment has made a big difference in her life.
“If we wouldn’t have this [enrollment in the Medi-Cal program], we wouldn’t have this much progress with her right now,” Aguilar said. “She knows how to use her words.”
Opponents of the proposed cuts say they would have devastating effects on the healthcare system, straining services and raising healthcare costs for millions of Californians.
“Republicans are laying the groundwork to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid in order to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires,” Padilla said.
However, Republicans argue that one of the reasons the state’s program is so expensive is due to a high enrollment of undocumented immigrants.
“Our Republican colleagues like to talk about efficiency and cost savings,” said Congresswoman Jacobs. “The fact of the matter is, you save $12 for every dollar you invest in preventative healthcare. That’s exactly what we want to be doing because when people show up in the ER, we will be paying for it either way. This way we can assure it is the most efficient use of resources.”
Senator Padilla said California isn’t the only state dealing with budget issues when it comes to its Medicaid programs. He said it is due to a number of factors, including the rising cost of healthcare.
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