On Oct. 19, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to prevent California from cutting services for participants in the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program.
About 130,000 IHSS participants were scheduled to lose some or all services beginning Nov. 1 because of budget cuts approved this summer.
In a California Healthline Special Report by David Gorn, experts discussed how service reductions could affect health care access and quality for vulnerable populations.
The Special Report includes comments from:
- Melinda Bird, chief counsel for Disability Rights California;
- Laura Dunn, medical ethicist at UC-San Francisco; and
- Joseph Hafkenschiel, president of the California Association for Health Services at Home.
The California attorney general’s office said it plans to appeal the judge’s decision (Gorn, California Healthline, 10/23).