Our country is currently being forced to look at how we, as a whole, continue to practice racism, separatism, and elitism.  We see these issues playing out in many forms and one of which is access to good healthcare.  Currently, more than 12 million Californians are on Medi-Cal -- that is 1 out of 3 people in our state -- and the numbers are growing as COVID-19 continues to put people out of work.  From data presented on the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal, of those who applied for Medi-Cal health benefits from 2016 to 2019, 72% of the over 10 million applicants did not classify themselves as white.  This is yet another moment to witness the disparity in resources for those who are white and those who are not.

Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a revision in his May 2020 Budget that would completely cut physical therapy, amongst other essential healthcare services, from the health benefits provided through the Medi-Cal system.  This demographic represents people who are grossly underserved and already have limited access to quality health and wellness services.

In this global medical emergency, our government is proposing to cut these crucial services from over a third of our states’ people:

• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech Therapy
• Visual Services
• Audiology
• Acupuncture
• Podiatry
• Pharmacist Services
• Nurse Anesthetist Services
• Screening, intervention, and referral to treatments for opioids and other illicit drugs
• Incontinence creams and washes
• Dentistry (large reduction in coverage, not completely cut)

The gap between those who fall into the upper and lower-income brackets is already a tremendous problem.  This budget cut will create an even larger disparity, limiting only the poorest of our community from having access to medical care that is needed, especially during a pandemic. 

This proposal from the Governor would save the State of California $5.6 million BUT loses $14.2 million in federal matching funds that we receive for these services.  This is a fiscally irresponsible decision and needs to be strongly opposed by the people and representatives of the State of California.

All peoples deserve access to healthcare and your input is crucial to protect this human right.

Please sign your name to this petition to the Governor’s office demanding access to these essential health services for those insured by the Medi-Cal system.