Introduction
As California faces a projected state budget shortfall in the tens of billions of dollars due to the COVID-19 crisis, Governor Newsom’s revised budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year includes significant reductions to programs and services that help keep Californians healthy. In particular, proposed cuts to Medi- Cal (California’s Medicaid program) could worsen health outcomes as well as undermine efforts to advance health equity at a time when the health and economic hardships from COVID-19 have disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx Californians, women and children in low-income households, and undocumented Californians. The following table summarizes key cuts to Medi-Cal – including reductions to benefits and eligibility – in the Governor’s revised 2020-21 state budget and highlights how these proposals would affect Californians.
Support for this work is provided by the California Health Care Foundation
