With Eye On Medi-Cal Fund, Providers Pony Up Big Bucks For Tobacco Initiative
Doctors, hospitals and labor unions have given almost $20 million to the ballot measure, which if passed will send up to $1 billion in new tax revenue to Medi-Cal.
Sacramento Bee:
Doctors Build Broad Coalition To Combat Tobacco Industry, Fund Medi-Cal
The lung, heart and cancer associations, known as “white hat” interests at the Capitol, have battled Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds at the polls for decades. This time around doctors, hospitals, and labor unions have put in most of the $19 million collected so far for the pro-tax campaign, hoping the measure caps a multi-year effort to increase reimbursement rates for Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance system for the poor. (Luna, 9/13)