The Protect Access to Healthcare act will codify the budget agreement for the 2025 and 2026 investment in Medi-Cal provider rates. These rates increased on January 1, 2024 for many primary care providers and will increase on January 1, 2025 for specialty care providers. This was the first across-the-board provider rate increase in approximately thirty years – though there were cuts in that time to already-low rates – and has a direct impact on access to care for many of the state’s most vulnerable communities.
Medi-Cal currently covers one-third of all people in California and half of that enrollment are Latino Californians. Spanish is the primary language spoken by approximately 29% of enrollees. In 2018, the California Health Care Foundation found that adults in Medi-Cal were more likely than those with employer-sponsored insurance to report no usual source of care, having been told a doctor wouldn’t accept Medi-Cal, having difficulty finding a specialist who could see them, not having any doctor visits in the prior year, and have had more than one emergency department visit in the prior year. In 2019, adults in Medi-Cal were twice as likely to report difficulty in finding a provider to accept their insurance when compared to those with Medicare or employer-sponsored insurance. By increasing Medi-Cal rates, more physicians will be able to afford to provide care to Medi-Cal patients, providing greater access to care to those who need it most.
This important initiative will also solidify funding for other spending priorities such as increasing the number of residency slots and programs and increasing funding for physician and allied health professional loan repayment plans. The current health care worker shortage is an indication that we need to reduce barriers to entry into the field without compromising quality. These measures help address that need.
SSVMS, CMA, and the Coalition to Protect Access to Care – a group of relevant stakeholders including the California Primary Care Association, California Hospital Association, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, California Dental Association and more – have been conducting a signature-gathering campaign since mid-November that will run through late-April to qualify the initiative for the November 2024 ballot. Beyond that, the coalition will engage in fundraising efforts to support the campaign, expand its membership, and produce and distribute educational materials regarding why the initiative is so badly needed.
We anticipate the two biggest challenges for the campaign will be ensuring sufficient funding for the campaign, which could be in the range of $40-$50 million raised by coalition partners, and getting voters’ attention. The November ballot will feature the 2024 Presidential election and potentially as many as 20 ballot initiatives. While turnout is generally higher for a presidential election, it will be essential to get voters to make our initiative a priority when there may be a long list on the ballot. We are confident that these challenges can be overcome as we fight to expand access to care.
SSVMS and CMA are committed to protecting the new Medi-Cal provider rates and to expand access to care for patients who desperately need it. The Protect Access to Healthcare measure is an essential element of this strategy and we urge you to support it financially and by donating your time for this important cause. We’re confident SSVMS members will step up, as they always do, and please be sure to watch for updates as the campaign progresses.
Email Aileen Wetzel
