No Accountability for Community Health Workers as AB 403, Bill to Strengthen Community Health Worker Transparency, is Held in Assembly Appropriations
Sacramento, CA – Today, co-sponsors of AB 403 express deep disappointment that the Assembly Appropriations Committee failed to advance AB 403, the Community Health Workers and Promotora Medi-Cal Services Transparency Act. Introduced by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, AB 403 aimed to shine a light on gaps in access to Community Health Worker, Promotora, and Representative (CHW/PR) services under California’s Medi-Cal program.
In the face of a challenging budget year, CHW/PRs remain an essential, cost-effective part of California’s health care system—especially for diverse and historically underserved groups like Latine, Indigenous, AAPI, and immigrant communities. As California navigates budget constraints and proposals that threaten safety-net programs, CHW/PRs continue to deliver trusted, culturally responsive care at the frontlines of the state’s health system.
AB 403 represented a modest but meaningful opportunity to strengthen that system through better data and oversight—an opportunity that advocates say must not be missed in the future. AB 403 would have required the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to annually publish utilization data and assess managed care outreach to inform state decision-making better.
“We are disappointed AB403 is no longer moving forward. This bill was an important effort to collect the data needed to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the CHW/P/R benefit.” said Dr. Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. Community health workers and promotoras are essential, regardless of the political or budget climate we find ourselves in. We will continue to fight for transparency, accountability, and investment in this life-saving workforce.”
“We are dismayed that AB 403 will not move forward this year,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. “Rooted in the communities they serve, CHW/P/Rs are our state’s frontline workers and a proven, cost-effective strategy to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for the state’s diverse Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Without better data, there is no way to measure the effectiveness of the CHW/P/R benefit. We remain committed to ensuring California and health plans are living up to the original promise of the benefit as a strategy for advancing more equitable health outcomes for all.”
This decision is a deep disservice to the very communities that promotoras and CHWPRS serve. AB 403 asked for data, not dollars.It is devastating that even this basic step toward transparency was denied. As Promotoras we carry generations of wisdom and resilience. When the system won’t even look at the data, it refuses to see us,” said Maria Lemus, Executive Director of Vision y Compromiso. “A tight budget year cannot be an excuse to abandon accountability. Promotoras and CHWPRs are not a line item, they are a lifeline, now more than ever. The Legislature missed a chance to lead with values. We are disappointed, but we are not discouraged. Our communities will continue to rise, and so will our demand for equity and accountbaility. We will be back. Because transparency for this workforce isn’t optional, it’s overdue. La lucha Sigue!
“The failure to advance AB 403 is a failure to invest in the health of California’s children and families,” said Mayra E. Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership. “Community health workers and promotoras are trusted messengers and care providers in communities too often left behind by our health care system – including children in immigrant families, communities of color, and other marginalized communities. AB 403 was a critical step toward ensuring the Medi-Cal program delivers on its promise of equity. Our children deserve a health care system that sees them, serves them and is accountable to them. We remain committed to lifting up this essential workforce and the data transparency needed to support it.”
Co-sponsors of AB 403 remain steadfast in their commitment to strengthening and protecting Medi-Cal coverage, ensuring equitable access to the CHW/PR Medi-Cal benefit, and holding the system accountable to the communities it serves. We look forward to continuing our work with the Legislature and state leaders to advance transparency and build a health care system that truly centers the needs of all Californians.
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Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC) is the leading statewide policy organization with a specific emphasis on Latine & Indigenous health. For over 33 years, LCHC has worked on transforming systems to achieve health justice. We pride ourselves on translating community solutions into equitable policy and lasting systemic change. Our work focuses on legislative and administrative advocacy, people power, and narrative change.
