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Press Release |
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Consumers Union commends Governor Pete Wilson’s effort to expand health care insurance coverage to many uninsured children in California. The Wilson proposal announced today taps into money from a new federal program that was included in the recent budget deal.
"This is a great opportunity," said Jeanne Finberg, Senior Attorney and Policy Analyst for Consumers Union. "We’re pleased that the Legislature and the Administration seem willing to work together quickly to cover thousands of California’s uninsured children. With money available from the federal government on October 1, it would be tragic to allow any delay in extending health care to kids in need."
The federal program offers California $855 million for the first year of the program, but Wilson aides said that amount is not needed to cover all the eligible children. The program is targeted toward low-income families that earn more than the maximum for Medi-Cal eligibility and do not have insurance through employers or other means. The Governor’s $479 million plan would provide health coverage to an estimated 580,000 uninsured children through private managed care providers. The proposal requires families to pay a monthly co-premium as well as co-payments for each visit to the doctor.
"We’re still concerned about the scope of the co-premiums and co-payments in Wilson’s proposal," Finberg said. "Monthly premiums and payments for preventive care will be unaffordable to many families living on the edge of poverty. This undermines the purpose of the program. We don’t oppose nominal co-payments for non-preventive care, but these other fees could leave a lot of children uninsured."
Finberg is also looking at how traditional safety net providers, such as local clinics, will be incorporated into the plan. These providers are often more prepared than private companies to respond to the language and cultural needs of a diverse client base. Therefore, these providers need to be included as an option in the new program.
The Legislature is expected to hold immediate hearings on the Governor’s proposal.
