On Thursday June 27th, Governor Newsom signed California’s 2019-2020 fiscal year (FY) state budget. The final spending plan includes funds for CPEHN’s priority budget asks including, community-based enrollment assistance in Medi-Cal, asthma preventive services and cultural competency in county mental health.
The budget also expands access to full scope Medi-Cal for young adults aged 19-25, regardless of immigration status. While CPEHN applauds this important step, we call on the Governor to continue the momentum to ensure ALL Californians, including the state’s elder population can access critical health care coverage. In other exciting news, this budget plan improves health care affordability for low and middle income Californians through additional state funds to help offset the rising cost of insurance premiums.
CPEHN’s State Budget Policy Priorities Included in the Final Budget Agreement:
- Outreach and Enrollment Assistance in Medi-Cal: $30 million over three years with a federal match to fund community-based outreach to enroll Medi-Cal eligible beneficiaries in health care coverage and ensure individuals can access those services.
- Asthma Preventive Services in Medi-Cal: $15 million one-time funding for one year to fund the Asthma Mitigation Grant Program to support community based, home visitation asthma prevention services and education for individuals suffering from mild to moderate asthma.
- Improvements in County Mental Health Equity: $3 million in one-time funding for assistance to counties on reducing mental health disparities. $5 million in one-time funding for innovation grants to invest in innovative mental health strategies to serve the diverse needs of our communities.
Additional Priorities Included in the Final Budget:
- Health for All Young Adults: $98 million for the expansion of Medi-Cal to approximately 90,000 young adults aged 19-25, regardless of immigration status. Funds for elders were not included.
- Affordability Assistance for Covered California Enrollees: $1 billion plus an additional $450 million over three years for affordability assistance for individuals below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($16,800 for an individual) as well as subsidies for individuals earning up to 600 FPL ($75,000 for an individual).
Make your Voice Heard! Tweet your Support for these Health Equity Wins TODAY!
The additional funding included in this final budget is representative of the diverse needs of our communities and now with the Governor’s approval, these funds will have a tremendous impact. Below are some sample tweets you can send to show your approval of the FY 2019-20 budget and its reflection of health equity investments!
- Thank you @GavinNewsom for approving $15 million for in-home asthma relief services and education in the #CABudget! Because of your leadership the 265,000 people in Medi-Cal suffering from poorly controlled asthma can now #BreatheEasier. @Senator_Hurtado @RAMPasthma @ChildrenNow
- The final #CABudget reflects $30 million for community-based health navigator funding over 2 years! Thank you for your support @GavinNewsom. Our communities will have the assistance they need to access the complex Medi-Cal system & life-saving services! @CHCinc
- TY @GavinNewsom for approving $8 million in the #CABudget to reduce mental health disparities! Cultural competency is essential in providing effective mental health services. Major Win! @LCHC_CA @SEARAC @yourcbhn @SteinbergDS @Out4MH #Care4MyCulture
Check out CPEHN’s Budget Scorecard for additional information on CPEHN’s budget requests and other health equity budget priorities. The fight is not over! CPEHN will continue to monitor and advocate to ensure these new funds reach our communities! To view the fully-enacted budget, visit the Department of Finance website.
CPEHN’s Bills Advance! Your Support is Needed TODAY!
The push for CPEHN’s broad health equity agenda continues. Critical bills need your support!
- SB 207 (Hurtado D-Sanger) would provide in-home asthma education and trigger remediation services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, utilizing community health workers. The Assembly Health Committee Hearing is on July 9. This bill is co-sponsored by the Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP) and Children Now.
- Submit your organization’s logo by COB July 1st. Submit logos to Linda Tenerowicz (ltenerowicz@cpehn.org).
- AB 512 (Ting D-San Francisco) would strengthen the cultural competency of county mental health services. This bill is co-sponsored by the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, California Black Health Network, Steinberg Institute, and CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Out4MentalHealth project.
- Submit your letter of support by July 2nd. Submit to Linda Tenerowicz (ltenerowicz@cpehn.org).
Thank you for your support! CPEHN will continue to provide you with updates on the status of these and other CPEHN priority bills as they make their way through the Legislature.