Special sessions: Watch your wallet

Assemblymember Marie Waldron

AD – 75 (Republican)

As you may know, Governor Brown has called another legislative special session; this one dealing with healthcare and Medi-Cal funding.

California is one of 16 states in which only the Governor may call a special session. Only the specific subjects mentioned in the Governor’s special-session proclamation may be addressed. The February bill introduction deadline is waved, and any bills passed may become law in an expedited manner.

Medi-Cal funding is an especially serious issue. Provider reimbursement rates were cut by up to 10 percent in 2011, which proved financially devastating to healthcare providers throughout California, including some in this region. In addition, many doctors were forced to limit the number of Medi-Cal patients they see.

At the same time, the implementation of Obamacare resulted in a significant increase in the number of Medi-Cal enrollees, leading to a serious shortage of doctors serving this expanding pool of patients. In response, this year I co-authored Assembly Bill 366 (Rob Bonta, D – Oakland) which in its original form restored many of these cuts. Unfortunately, the bill failed to progress.

California’s economic rebound has generated billions of dollars in new tax revenues. Even so, while the 2015-16 budget provided billions for new entitlements, the Medi-Cal reimbursement problem was largely ignored.

Vital public health issues like Medi-Cal reimbursements should have been a priority issue addressed during the regular session. Medi-Cal should not become a special-session bludgeon used to force tax increases upon hard-working Californians.