Monterey, CA Medi-Cal Expansion Voted In Here In California, 1.4 Million More Residents Will Be Eligible

View From A Nonprofit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California Historic legislation which was voted in over last weekend vastly expands the number of people eligible for Medi-Cal in our state.  Although the Affordable Care Act (health care reform) set the rules for this implementation, some states have decided not to vote positively on legislation to expand Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California), despite the fact that the federal government is picking up most of the tab.  Many states are so cash strapped that any dollars added to the budget just can't even be considered.  Just one day after passing our state budget, legislators in Sacramento voted to add a whopping 1.4 million new residents to the Medi-Cal eligibility list.  After the bill was voted on, Senator Mark Leno (Democrat, San Francisco) told the Monterey Herald, "We don't know for certain that this will contain the costs, that's certainly the goal.  But…we also make sure that health care is not considered a privilege of the fortunate few but as a basic human right."  He continued, "That's what we're implementing today.  This is a big deal."  The federal government had originally said they would cover 100% of the costs but later said they would do this just for the first three years.  Following that, it gradually drops to 90% starting in 2020.  The bill which passed in California has a provision to drop the coverage if the federal government's share drops below 70%.  It's great to see so many Californian's getting access to health care.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors