Health Cuts Unacceptable To Many

Katy Grimes: “Right now! Can’t wait! Single-payer for our state!” was the rather uncreative rally cry at a well-organized protest immediately following Governor Jerry Brown’s budget proposal press conference.

The ink isn’t even dry on Brown’s budget proposal, and already press releases are being sent to media from health care organizations funded by the state, unhappy with the proposed cuts.

Critical of former Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget cuts to health care, and now expressing unhappiness with Gov. Brown, the Medi-Cal Adult Day Health Care program  stated, “While we understand California is in a fiscal crisis, cutting ADHC does nothing to solve the problem, in fact it makes it worse.” ADHC even went so far as to claim that “ADHC is a bargain for taxpayers,” threatening the state with costly lawsuits for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The protestors at the Capitol were just as upset with Brown’s proposed cuts – $1.6 billion cut out of Medi-Cal, $750 million in cuts to developmental services, as well as $486 million cut from California’s in-home services.

But during the conference, Brown insisted that while no one would be happy with the cuts, it was the only way to balance California’s budget, along with a five-year extension of increased income and sales taxes, and the Vehicle License Fee.

When explaining how the budget cutting decisions were made, Brown said “where the money goes, is where it has to be cut.”

JAN. 10, 2011