When H.R.1 was signed into law last year, it cut billions in federal funding to Medicaid – the largest cuts to the healthcare program in U.S. history. Which has meant unprecedented cuts to Medi-Cal (California’s version of the healthcare program).
The impact of H.R.1 funding cuts along with its new eligibility requirements and co-pay, make it harder to serve the people who need care the most, and have had an immediate impact on LA County. Within the first four months of the law, about 1,000 adults and 200 children a day lost healthcare coverage throughout our region.
More than three million of our fellow friends, family, and neighbors rely on Medi-Cal in LA County and the latest reported cases of the measles are just one more example of how necessary access to healthcare is for our collective well-being. When that access is denied, health insurance premiums for working families go up, our emergency rooms see increased wait times, and our entire health system is strained even further.
To help hold the line in protecting access to essential services like healthcare throughout LA County, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell introduced the motion Securing Funding to Preserve Critical County Services Cut by H.R.1, alongside Board Chair Hilda L. Solis, that will be voted on at the upcoming Tuesday February 10 Board meeting.
If passed, the motion will ask voters to decide on a June ballot measure to create a temporary ½ percent (0.5%) retail tax on non-essential goods (so groceries, medicine, and items purchased through SNAP and WIC would not be taxed). Revenue generated will help stabilize our regional healthcare system and avoid healthcare becoming more costly and out of reach for working families throughout LA County.
Let me be clear: putting forward this motion is something I do not take lightly. LA County has taken measures to cut costs, including hiring freezes, consolidating services, limiting overtime, and using emergency reserves – which are not enough to weather the manufactured storm we are facing.
The ballot measure would also include an end date in 2031 and to help ensure transparency a civilian oversight committee and ongoing public audits.
Backed by a growing coalition, this option is on the table because as the largest county in the nation, with 1 in 3 residents depending on Medi-Cal for their healthcare, we cannot afford for safety net services not to catch us when we need them most.
To view the livestream or leave public comment click here.
Offices of Supervisor Holly Mitchell
