Protect All Californians — protect Medi-Cal patients.

California’s health care system is in crisis. Hospitals are being forced to close or reduce services. Low-income residents and many people of color are especially vulnerable. Medi-Cal patients need a lifeline to care for those most in need

Urge lawmakers to
Protect care for Medi-Cal patients

Communities across California are losing access to critical health care services. Support an emergency lifeline of $1.5 billion to care for Medi-Cal patients.

Take Action

Get the Facts

Patients are at risk.

  • Hospitals statewide are being forced to reduce services or close entirely.
  • People in need must travel farther for vital services like emergency and maternity care.

Medi-Cal underfunding discriminates against the most vulnerable Californians.

  • California pays only 74 cents for every dollar it costs to care for Medi-Cal patients.
  • Women, children, people of color, and low-income Californians are most at risk.
  • Medi-Cal rates have been frozen for a decade while inflation has skyrocketed.

The price of inaction is hospital closure, bankruptcy, or diminished health care services.

  • Medi-Cal patients need an emergency lifeline of $1.5 billion to make sure hospitals can continue to care for those in need.
  • One hospital has already closed in 2023. Many more are shuttering services. More will follow.

Supporters

  • Alliance of Catholic Health Care
  • Association of California Healthcare Districts
  • CAPH - California Association of Public Hospitals & Health Systems
  • California Children's Hospital Association
  • California Hospital Association
  • District Hospital Leadership Forum
  • PEACH - California's Community Safety-Net Hospitals
  • United Hospital Association

In Their Own Words

“Closing Hazel Hawkins would have a devastating impact on the community. Those seeking care might need to drive more than an hour away depending on traffic to seek help at the next nearest hospital. From an emergency standpoint, that’s unacceptable.”
Mary Casillas
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital interim CEO
“The financial challenges facing hospitals are substantial and likely to persist in the coming years….The existing challenges and the manner in which hospitals respond will have long-term implications for cost, quality, and access to care, especially within historically underserved communities.”
Andrew Sudimack, Daniel Polsky
Health Affairs Forefront
Source: Health Affairs
“I use the clinic and the hospital, so it’s really going to be missed. I don’t know what we’re gonna do, especially if you have an emergency when there’s no emergency room, and now no clinic.”
Sandra Bonds
Madera County
resident and patient
Source: KVPR
“Patients are going to die … If you have a car accident, you have to go to Fresno. If you have a heart attack or stroke, you’ve got to go to Fresno. If you’re in labor and there’s a problem, you’ve got to go to Fresno or Merced. If someone needs acute care and there’s delay in transport, it can mean the difference between life and death.”
Dr. Jonathan Mayer
OB-GYN who practiced at Madera Community Hospital
Source: Fresnoland
“These disruptions led to unexpected, unbudgeted cash shortfalls. I think there will be more [hospitals] that just don’t have enough cash or financial reserves to weather the downturn.”
Glenn Melnick
USC professor and health economist
“There is no bed with which to see the patient. And all I want to do is see the patient.”
Dr. Nicole Braxley
An emergency medicine physician who worked in Sacramento during the pandemic
“Given the current trends, our county and region cannot afford to lose one more hospital.”
Dr. Rais Vohra
Interim Health Officer, Fresno County Department of Public Health
“If we can't quickly do something and the state can't step in and help us get this hospital back open, it might be impossible to open if we can't find a partner.”
Karen Paolinelli
CEO, Madera Community Hospital

Resources

Learn more about the challenges facing California’s hospitals and how they inhibit access to care.

  • Community Organizations Release Survey on Effects of Madera Hospital Closure

    Read More

  • Report: Patients Served by 1 in 5 CA Hospitals at Risk of Losing Their Hospital Due to Closure

    Read More

  • Hospital Services at Risk Throughout California

    Read More

  • 2023 National Hospital Flash Report

    Read More

  • Analysis: California Hospitals Endured Significant Financial Strain in 2021

    Read More

  • Rural Hospitals at Risk of Closing

    Read More

  • 2022 State of Healthcare Performance Improvement Report

    Read More
All Resources

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