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California Primary Care Association Responds to Senate Health Committee Vote

Posted on: Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 00:00 CST

Carmela Castellano-Garcia, President and CEO of California Primary Care Association, labels Senate's inaction as another loss for California's most vulnerable in the following statement:

"On behalf of the California Primary Care Association and the 700 community clinics and health centers it represents, I am extremely disappointed by the outcome of today's Senate Health Committee vote on California Health Security and Cost Reduction Act, ABx1-1.

"The failure of Senate Health Committee members to pass the ABx1-1 means more of the same from our Legislative leaders when it comes to addressing critical needs of our state: an inability to act on behalf of California's most vulnerable populations.

"ABx1-1 brings California closer than it has ever been to passable comprehensive health reform. It expands health coverage to an additional 3.6 million Californians in need and ensures that every individual has access to a medical home. ABx1-1 strengthens the community clinic safety net and capitalizes on its proven record for providing cost effective, quality primary and preventative health care to our state's neediest populations. ABx1-1 provides a historic investment -- $140 million - into the state's Expanded Access to Primary Care (EAPC) program and gives community clinics the resources they need to provide more health care to more Californians.

"As the medical home to over 3.9 million low-income, uninsured and underinsured individuals, nobody stands to benefit more from reforming our broken health care system than California's community clinics and the patients they serve.

"At a time when the economy is failing, the State is facing a $14 billion deficit, and the state's critical health care programs are on the chopping block, ABx1-1 gives California the tremendous opportunity to re-invest millions of dollars back into California's health system.

"I urge our State Senate Leaders not to let this issue drop here, and not to squander this historic opportunity to help those who need it most. California voters deserve the chance to weigh in on this issue and its fate for themselves."

Source: Business Wire

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