Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, called the additional COVID funding "essential to helping hospitals and other providers respond to the record number of patients."
The California Hospital Association is backing Gov. Gavin Newsom's call to expand Medi-Cal to all eligible Californians, including an estimated 764,000 undocumented immigrants.
Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, called the proposal "the final step needed to ensure that California becomes the first state in the nation to achieve universal health care coverage."
The proposed expansion of Medi-Cal was one of several healthcare initiatives unveiled in Newsom's budget, which also includes nearly $3 billion over five years to support behavioral health services, a $2.7 billion COVID emergency response package, and $1.7 billion for improvements to the state's public health infrastructure and to support frontline healthcare workers.
"Doubling down on our actions to reduce costs for middle-class families and expand access to important services, this proposal is a transformative step towards strengthening the healthcare system for all Californians," Newsom said. "Everyone is healthier when everyone has access to quality, affordable care."
Coyle called the additional COVID funding "essential to helping hospitals and other providers respond to the record number of patients."
"This funding will help ensure that providers have the supplies and staffing necessary to care for all those affected by COVID-19," she said.
Coyle also praised the governor's workforce expansion initiative, "especially those focused on workers providing care, included in the governor’s budget proposal," Coyle said.
"The healthcare field is facing a severe shortage of nurses, doctors, and other critical health care workers that will span years, if not decades," she said. "We urge state leaders to invest resources to help rebuild our depleted health care workforce."
“Doubling down on our actions to reduce costs for middle-class families and expand access to important services, this proposal is a transformative step towards strengthening the healthcare system for all Californians.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The proposed expansion of Medi-Cal was one of several healthcare initiatives unveiled in Newsom's budget.
Other healthcare spending includes nearly $3 billion over five years to support behavioral health services, a $2.7 billion COVID emergency response package, and $1.7 billion for improvements to the state's public health infrastructure and to support frontline healthcare workers.