You would think every day is Halloween when you read the media. Here they are scaring folks that health care is in jeopardy.
“Medicaid cuts could spell trouble for California’s Medi-Cal program and those who benefit from it. The California Department of Health Care Services reports that as of November 2024, over 4.1 million Los Angeles County residents were enrolled in Medi-Cal. That’s nearly half of the county.
But, how many are illegal aliens? Of the money cut, how much is due to waste, fraud and abuse? We will continue to hear these stories from the same media that lied to us about COVID, the end of Democracy and told us Biden was fit as a fiddle. File this article under the fiction category.
Health Insurance For 4M Los Angeles County Residents In Jeopardy
Nearly half of Los Angeles County residents are on Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. A GOP proposal could slash program funding.
Paige Austin andToni McAllister, Patch Staff, 2/25/25 https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/health-insurance-4m-los-angeles-county-residents-jeopardy
LOS ANGELES, CA — The approximately 15 million Californians who receive health care coverage through the state’s Medi-Cal insurance program might want to focus on Washington, D.C., this week.
As early as Tuesday, House Republicans are expected to vote on a spending plan that’s in line with President Donald Trump’s policy agenda — and the proposal contains up to nearly $900 billion in possible Medicaid cuts. Late Monday, however, GOP leaders were scrambling to find a Plan B to spare Medicaid, with swing-district members nervous about the potential impact of deep cuts.
Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid healthcare program.
Medi-Cal pays for a variety of medical services for children and adults with limited income and resources. Seniors on Medicare who cannot afford to pay their premiums are also among Medi-Cal recipients. When very low-income residents attempt to enroll in Covered California — the state’s rollout of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act — they are automatically referred to Medi-Cal.
Medicaid cuts could spell trouble for California’s Medi-Cal program and those who benefit from it. The California Department of Health Care Services reports that as of November 2024, over 4.1 million Los Angeles County residents were enrolled in Medi-Cal. That’s nearly half of the county.
The California Medical Association is urging California’s Congressional members to reject Medicaid reductions.
“These severe cuts are a direct threat to the well-being of 15 million Californians including children, seniors, the disabled, pregnant women, veterans and low-income working families who rely on Medicaid for essential health care,” according to a Feb. 21 CMA statement.
“Medi-Cal serves nearly 38% of the state’s population, including half of all children, and provides vital access to primary and preventive care,” the statement continued. “It reduces health care costs by keeping people out of emergency rooms and hospitals, supports families by providing care at home for the disabled and seniors. Medi-Cal also sustains rural hospitals and health care jobs, which are particularly crucial in rural communities.”
In recent years, Medi-Cal coverage has expanded to cover all California residents who meet income requirements. The most recent expansion was on January 1, 2024, when Medi-Cal opened to California residents regardless of immigration status.
Up to 1 million undocumented residents statewide may be receiving Medi-Cal, according to estimates from the UC Berkeley Labor Center. If accurate, the figure represents about 7% of all Medi-Cal recipients.
According to DHCS’s November numbers, 66.29% of Medi-Cal recipients used English as their written language, while 32.44% used Spanish. The remaining 0.65% of recipients used “other languages.”
While California’s House Democrats are arguing against the proposed Medicaid cuts, some of the state’s Republican members are also having trouble with them.
The GOP plan instructs the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid and Medicare, to find $880 billion in cuts. If all reductions come from Medicaid, it would represent an 11 percent reduction in spending, on average, over a decade.
Rep. David Valadao, whose congressional district includes a swath of California’s Central Valley, is having heartburn over the plan. About two-thirds of his constituents are on Medi-Cal.
In a recent letter to House GOP leaders, which was reported by The New York Times, Valadao and other lawmakers argued that Medicaid cuts “would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open.”
It’s unclear whether these arguments will hold any weight with the GOP-led House that appears eager to please a president who has been inconsistent in his messaging.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised not to touch Medicare and, in a recent interview, said he did not want to cut Medicaid funding either. The next day, he endorsed the House plan that calls for doing just that.
Not everyone is a Medi-Cal fan. Not all providers accept the insurance because, it’s argued, the Medicaid program doesn’t reimburse enough. As a result, Medi-Cal recipients who can’t access a regular provider are more likely to head to the nearest hospital emergency room.
As the U.S. House of Representatives hashes out its budget proposal, the U.S. Senate passed its own version last week. The proposal does not include Medicaid cuts.
