State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, speaks at a rally where health care and immigrant rights advocates celebrated the expansion of Medi-Cal to children and teens illegally brought to the United States, held at the Capitol Monday, May 16, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif.
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The state-funded program is projected to cost $40 million in the first year and $132 million annually after that.
Cynthia Buiza, an immigrant from the Philippines who now serves as executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, added that this health care initiative is “an investment in the future of the state”.
Today’s approval of the state’s plan for a Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax by the federal government won praise by the state’s group of local health plans, which provide coverage for most Californians in the Medi-Cal program.
“While Congress remains gridlocked with stereotypes and hateful rhetoric, California remains as a hopeful beacon that tells people, ‘Immigrants, you matter”.
Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), Assembly health committee chair, said it is a disservice to everyone when children don’t have full access to health care.
Last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed that bill, along with Senate Bill 75, which includes an investment to expand full-scope, comprehensive Medi-Cal to all low-income undocumented children under the age of 19.
Under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act, the landscape for Medi-Cal managed care is changing, with community health centers, including members of Integrated Health Partners, assuming a more prominent role in patient care and population health management.
More than 13 million Californians are enrolled in Medi-Cal, about a third of the state’s population.
He said they’ve been reaching out to families to tell them about the option and set up appointments starting on Monday for people to come in and enroll. Many uninsured, undocumented individuals do not seek out medical treatment until they have to be rolled into the emergency room, which can not deny care to anyone regardless of immigration status.
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“As a member of the Filipino community, I understand how important health coverage is to keep immigrant families healthy”, Buiza said.
