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2003-12-09 -- HEALTH ACCESS UPDATE ON BUDGET AND HEALTH FUNDING

Moody's Wall Street credit rating agency has lowered California debt
bond rating to the lowest value in history and the lowest in the US,
largely because of Schwartzenegger's cancellation of the increase in
vehicle license fees.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/12/10/MNGK03K1VB1.DT
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HEALTH ACCESS UPDATE Tuesday, December 9th, 2003

UPCOMING HEARINGS ON HEALTH CARE
* Senate Budget Subcommittee: Wednesday in Sacramento
* Senate Health Committee: Monday in Los Angeles
* Report on Protest Today

The Senate will hold two hearing on Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed
cuts to health and human services in the next week. Organizations and
people who will be directly affected by the cuts are invited to
testify.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10th, in SACRAMENTO: Senate Budget Subcommittee on
Health and Human Services, chaired by Senator Wes Chesbro, will
conduct an informational hearing on Wednesday at the State Capitol,
starting at 11:00am. The committee will reveal its analysis of the
numbers of children, people with disabilities, seniors, and others
that would have their health care denied because of these cuts.

The committee will take public testimony, on each item on the agenda,
as regular procedure. Of the fourteen items, the first is on the
"Additional 10 Percent Reduction to Medi-Cal Rates & Other Programs,"
and the third is "Governor's Proposed Cap on Enrollment for Health &
Human Services Programs." The full agenda is at:
http://www.senate.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/COMMITTEE/STANDING/BFR/_home/Sub3/DEC
102003 MIDYEAR.PDF


 MONDAY, DECEMBER 15th, in LOS ANGELES: The Senate Health and Human
Services Committee, chaired by Senator Deborah Ortiz, will hold an
informational hearing on the "Structural Deficit and the Governor's
Proposed Budget Reductions in Health and Human Services Programs" on
Monday, December 15, from 12:00noon to 3:00pm at the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors Chambers, Kenneth Hahn Hall of
Administration, Room 381-B, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles.

After opening remarks by Senator Ortiz, the program will consist of
four panels, and then end with a session for public comment. The
panels are on the four subjects:
1) Capping Enrollments in Healthy Families, Regional Centers, and AIDS
Assistance What does this mean for families and individuals?
2) The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Residual Program What does
eliminating it mean for individuals and families?
3) Non-Core Services for Persons with Disabilities (Especially
Respite) Who uses respite services and what does it mean for them?
4) Medi-Cal Provider Rate Reduction Will a provide rate reduction make
access to health care more difficult for individuals and families?

ATTACHED is a flyer, the first of a planned series, showing a quote
from Candidate Schwarzenegger, and Governor Schwarzenegger's actual
budget proposal. Feel free to use.

 CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING: Of interest to all who watch the budget and
the rapidly changing political climate, Governor Schwarzenegger
appeared today in Sacramento with wife Maria Shriver to light the
Capitol Christmas Tree. Hundreds of families and supporters of people
with developmental disabilities came out in the drizzling rain to
protest the Governor's cut, outnumbering a relatively small crowd that
was there to witness the ceremony. The silent protest featured people
with stickers and T-shirts that said "People with disabilities are not
Waste and Fraud!" and similar slogans. People with signs and handing
out leaflets were not allowed on the "state property" of the Capitol
Park, but ringed the sidewalk.

Ironically, the Christmas tree was, by tradition, decorated with
ornaments by children with developmental disabilities, and the
Governor had to speak about the need for the very programs he is
proposing to cut, right before he assisted a child in lighting the
tree. It may have been as ironic as the Governor's mall rallies last
week, where he highlighted his budget plan that includes borrowing $15
billion by cutting up a giant-size credit card.

Anthony E. Wright Executive Director
Health Access
1127 11th St., #234,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: 916-442-2308,
Fx: 916-497-0921
awright@health-access.org