For Immediate Release:
Contact: Robert Nunez, rnunez@lchc.org@lchc.org
The Latino Coalition for a Health California (LCHC) Statement on the Governors 2024 Budget Proposal
The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC) applauds Governor Newsom’s continued commitment to protect investments in health coverage for all, encourages the administration to support equity solutions to advance public health
(Sacramento, CA) Yesterday, Governor Newsom released his proposed 2024-2025 state budget. California is in the middle of important healthcare advances, even as we face a $37.8 billion deficit. LCHC encourages the Administration to continue to prioritize health equity to protect the Governor’s health legacy investments.
The Governor’s budget recommits to California’s full scope Medi-Cal expansion, ensuring anyone who is income eligible, regardless of immigration status or age, has access to healthcare. This brings California, the state with the largest Latino population and largest immigrant population, one step closer to universal healthcare.
“We applaud the Governor for recommitting to Medi-Cal expansion for all, a shift that will provide life saving care for Latino, Indigenous and Mesoamerica communities across our state. In the face of fiscal challenges, we cannot pause the progress we’ve made. As the state expands access, Latino communities are simultaneously being threatened by the federal Medi-Cal redetermination process,” said Rita Medina, Deputy Director at the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “We urge the administration to protect health equity advancements by continuing to prioritize improvements to our public health systems. This includes improving the quality and availability of care, strengthening our healthcare workforce and data systems to disaggregate data that truly reflects the diversity of our state.”
While we applaud the Governor protecting progressive healthcare advances, California must also prioritize measures and policies that will ensure the quality and protect the legacy of California’s investments in health programs and services that keep our communities healthier overall, including:
- Community Health Workers and Promotoras (CHWPs) in the Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax increase – which undermines the sustainability of the state’s new Community Health Worker and Promotora workforce and CHWP Medi-Cal benefit.
- Updating the public health and social services data systems to collect and disaggregate race/ethnicity and language data for Latinx and Indigenous Mesoamerican populations.
- Continuing to expand access to nutrition benefits regardless of immigration status or age
- Protecting investments that address the climate crisis whose consequences are already impacting Latinxs and people of color.
Budgets are a reflection of our values as a state and recommitting to healthcare access, proposed investments in youth mental health, and the continued prioritization of safety-net programs for immigrants demonstrate the willingness of the Governor to support health equity in California. We look forward to working with the legislature and Governor’s office to bring attention and funding to data disaggregation efforts, to understand more completely our state’s public health needs and continue workforce development in the public health space.
Protecting Progress
LCHC is encouraged by the Governor’s outstanding commitment to protect the following budgetary investments:
- Health Care Access —The Governor’s proposed budget maintains 23-24 funding and allocates $3.4 billion ($2.9 billion General Fund) in 2024-25, and approximately $3.7 billion ($3.2 billion General Fund) ongoing investment for this year, as part of the multi-year $10 billion commitment, for the expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal eligibility to all income-eligible Californians, regardless of immigration status or age.
- LCHC supports the continued investment into the health of our state’s most systematically disenfranchised groups. For the well-being of our state as a whole, we know Latinxs and other undocumented Californians must be able to rely on stable healthcare access.
Prioritizing Health Equity
While we understand the need to be good stewards, as the state addresses the financial shortfall – it must not compromise the goals and objectives of an equitable recovery and long term well being for ALL Californians. This includes decisions to delay programs and services that are critical to achieve health equity in California. Issues like climate change, housing and food accessibility continue to be priorities for Latinxs. LCHC urges the Governor to reconsider and work with advocates to ensure the following proposed delays remain scheduled for implementation under the previous timeline. Any delays will negatively impact Californians.
- COVID-19 Pandemic—The Governor maintains investment reductions to COVID-19 emergency response and resources. This decision puts lives at risk. As we continue to experience highly infectious variants of the COVID-19 virus, the budget’s reduction in spending towards COVID-19 relief is ill-timed. Latinxs are still the group most impacted by the pandemic with our community making up 44.6% of cases and 42.6% of deaths.
- LCHC urges the administration to increase the current $176.6 million allocation to ensure we are protecting Californians from this ever evolving virus.
- Community Health Workers Program—
- California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) —The Budget reflects a delay of the CFAP expansion to all income-eligible noncitizens 55 years of age or older, consistent with the necessary completion of the California Statewide Automated Welfare System migration. Benefit distribution is now estimated to begin January 1, 2027.
- LCHC urges the Governor to reconsider the delayed timeline to implement the expansion of CFAP. Hunger is not delayed. Delaying the expansion directly hurts the physical well-being of Latinxs and immigrants in California.
Equitable recovery will require intentional investment and partnership with the low income, communities of color that have been most urgently impacted. This budget will serve as a tool for all of us to dig deep and continue to fight for funding in the areas that are delayed due to the current projected budget. We look forward to continuing to work with the Governor, the Administration and Legislature to ensure we protect the progress we’ve made, and defend the enormous steps we’ve taken towards being health and safety-net leaders in the nation.
For questions or comments, please contact LCHC’s Sr. Communications Manager, Robert Nuñez, at rnunez@lchc.org or at (805)815-7730.
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About LCHC:
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC)—the only statewide policy organization with a specific emphasis on Latinx health—was founded by health care providers, consumers and advocates in 1992 to impact Latino health by focusing on policy development, providing enhanced information, and community involvement.
