CPEHN Statement on Governor Brown’s 2015-16 Budget Proposal

Author Details

Sarah de Guia

Outgoing Executive Director
sdeguia@cpehn.org

Organization: California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

Go to California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

On Friday, January 9th, Governor Jerry Brown released his proposed budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year. We appreciate that Governor Brown’s $113 billion spending proposal includes a continued commitment to health care reform through the Medi-Cal expansion and increases investments in education and climate change. While his proposal does not include specific funding for immigrants impacted by President Obama’s recent executive action on immigration, we are pleased that he has affirmed their Medi-Cal eligibility. 

However, despite higher than projected revenues, the Governor’s spending proposal misses an important opportunity to restore years of cuts to California’s safety-net programs and to expand health care coverage to the remaining uninsured. The lack of restorations and new funding for “Health for All” will negatively impact low-income families, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

For more than a decade our communities have been asked to endure painful cuts to services due to structural deficits in the state budget. Many continue to go without much needed health care because it remains unaffordable and out of reach. The passage of Proposition 30 in 2012 has been critical in providing much needed revenue for the state. The Governor mustn’t squander this opportunity to fulfill his goal of making California the healthiest state in the nation. An investment in California’s most vulnerable communities will improve the wellbeing of our entire state. 

For a detailed summary of the Governor’s budget proposal, please visit our Policy Center.