Top California Democrats Blast Senate’s Health Care Bill As ‘Very Divisive, Hateful’
Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris denounced the proposed legislation.
Los Angeles Times:
Gov. Jerry Brown Says GOP Healthcare Bill Cuts 'Right Into The Heart Of What Is Already A Divided Nation'
One in three California residents are covered by Medicaid, and California is thought to have the most to lose if Republicans gather enough votes to roll back major aspects of the Affordable Care Act. California would see the nation’s biggest increase in uninsured people by next year and face a $24-billion budget shortfall by 2026 because of reduced Medicaid funding, California's Democratic senators and Gov. Jerry Brown warned during a call with reporters on Tuesday. (Wire, 6/27)
Sacramento Bee:
Brown, Feinstein, Harris Rip Health Care
Feinstein, leading a conference call with Sen. Kamala Harris and Gov. Jerry Brown, tore into the health care bill as a gift to the wealthiest Americans in the form of tax breaks at the expense of the poor and lamented that it was drafted “in secret by 12 white men.” The GOP-led Senate and House plans would make significant cuts to Medicaid, a program for the poor that in California covers more than 13 million people, including half of the state’s children. (Cadelago, 6/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Opposition In GOP Ranks Forces Delay In Vote On Obamacare Overhaul
In a rare joint telephone news conference Tuesday, California’s top Democrats, Gov. Jerry Brown and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, urged Republicans to drop their partisan undertaking, warning that the Senate bill would harm Californians of all stripes and devastate the state’s hospitals, among other things. “It’s the most indefensible bill I’ve actually seen in 24 years in the Senate,” Feinstein said. (Lochhead, 6/27)
The Desert Sun:
Barbara Boxer Speaks Out Against Trumpcare And Its Impact On HIV Testing In The Coachella Valley
Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer weighed in on the fight over health care Tuesday, calling Republican proposals a threat to vulnerable populations including those with HIV and AIDS. Boxer, a Democrat who left the Senate last year, spoke on the Palm Desert campus of the University of California Riverside as part of an event marking three years of work by the Get Tested Coachella Valley HIV-testing campaign." If every town and city and valley in America did this program, we could say bye-bye to the [AIDS] epidemic," Boxer said. (Newkirk, 6/27)
In related news —
Los Angeles Times:
Senate GOP Healthcare Bill Would Be 'Devastating' For L.A. County, Officials Warn
Los Angeles County officials gathered Tuesday morning to warn of the impact the Senate healthcare bill could have on the county, which is home to one out of every 20 of the nation’s Medicaid recipients. The Obamacare repeal bill unveiled last week would eliminate the mandate that all Americans have health insurance, alter the subsidies provided to people who buy insurance through the exchanges and undo several taxes on high-income Americans that are used to fund the Affordable Care Act. (Karlamangla, 6/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
GOP Health Bill Would Cut Majority Of Planned Parenthood Budget In California
Planned Parenthood of California, which operates more of the organization’s health centers than any other state in the nation, would lose 73 percent of its operating budget under the health care bills that Republicans are pushing to replace the Affordable Care Act, its leaders said Tuesday. Planned Parenthood of Northern California, which operates 20 health centers San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa and other counties between the Bay Area and the Oregon border, would face budget reductions of similar proportions. (Ho, 6/27)
The Mercury News:
Obamacare: Bay Area Weighs In On Senate Plan To Repeal Law
California’s successful state-run health care exchange boasts 1.4 million enrolled in private health care plans and about four million low-income residents in an expanded Medi-Cal program, but controversy remains. While many Californians see Obamacare as a lifeline to medical care that is suddenly within their financial reach, some Californians miss the days when the government didn’t penalize them for not having health insurance. (Seipel, 6/28)