SFMS/CMA support SB 301 (DeSaulnier) and AB 826 (Swanson), which would reinstate the Medi-Cal Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax and the Healthy Families Program. Both bills have support from Republicans and Democrats in both houses.

In June, Governor Brown signed the proposal to transition all of the children currently enrolled in Healthy Families to Medi-Cal. If approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, the move would have an enormously negative impact on the 900,000 children that rely on Healthy Families for heath care coverage.

“The proposal signed in June puts the health of millions of California’s children at risk, as Medi-Cal already faces serious challenges in providing access to care for its enrollees,” said CMA President James T. Hay, MD. “SB 301 and AB 826 will ensure that California’s children have access to the care they need and deserve.”

When the MCO Tax was created in 2009, it was to address persistent funding shortfalls that plagued the Healthy Families Program. Since the creation of the tax, Healthy Families has been stable and successful in providing care for the nearly 900,000 children it serves.

Click here to download a sample letter supporting legislation to restore Healthy Families (SB 301 and AB 826) to send to your local legislators.