Calif. Lawmakers Travel to D.C. in Search of Health Care Funds
This week, California Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) are in Washington, D.C., to ask federal lawmakers for additional funding to help close the state's $20 billion budget deficit, Inland News Today reports (Inland News Today, 5/4).
On Tuesday, the two lawmakers plan to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss the effect of the new health reform law on California (AP/Ventura County Star, 5/3).
Pérez and Steinberg plan to ask for commitments of up to $4 billion when they meet with administration officials and congressional leaders. The lawmakers are seeking support for health care programs that target low-income residents and federal matching funds linked to the state's new quality assurance fee on hospitals (California Healthline, 4/29).
Pérez said, "We think we can call on the federal government for more assistance in a legitimate way to help us close our budget gap and make sure that California gets its full share of federal funding for our programs" (Inland News Today, 5/4).
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