Fact Sheets Analyze How Previous Cuts Have Hit Health, Social Services
State budget cuts enacted over the past few years have had a significant effect on programs that serve low-income residents and the elderly, according to a series of fact sheets from the California Budget Project, California Watch reports (Jewett, California Watch, 5/18).
The California Budget Project published the data last week, before Gov. Jerry Brown (D) released the May revision of his budget plan (Dulaney, Redlands Daily Facts, 5/14).
Three Fact Sheets
The fact sheets examined how recent budget cuts have affected three health and social service programs.
One fact sheet found that between fiscal year 2008-2009 and FY 2011-2012, state lawmakers cut $144 million from Healthy Families, California's Children's Health Insurance Program. The spending reductions required beneficiaries to pay application fees and higher copayments. According to the fact sheet, enrollment in Healthy Families has fallen by more than 50,000 children since July 2009.
A second fact sheet found that CalWORKS -- California's welfare-to-work program -- has faced $3.5 billion in budget cuts since FY 2008-2009. The changes have resulted in a 12% drop in cash assistance and a reduction in the number of months that families are eligible for the program (California Watch, 5/18).
The third fact sheet found that since FY 2008-2009, the state has cut $4.6 billion from the SSI/SSP program, which provides cash assistance to seniors and residents with disabilities. According to the California Budget Project, the reductions add up to a total loss of about $3,600 for each of the nearly 1.3 million beneficiaries of the program (Redlands Daily Facts, 5/14).
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