California has become the first state to offer taxpayer-funded health benefits to young adults living in the country illegally.
Lawmakers are considering separate proposals to broaden Medi-Cal eligibility. One bill targets undocumented immigrants age 65 and up, and another would make all Californians eligible regardless of age or immigration status. Similar efforts have failed repeatedly over the past several years because of cost concerns, but California now has a $75.7-billion budget surplus.
Unlike the Medi-Cal measures, which rely on state funding, the bill authored by Santiago, working with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, would transfer the cost onto employers and insurance companies. It would allow parents or stepparents regardless of age whose children claim them as dependents on their taxes to be added to private health plans regulated by the state. They include job-based plans and those purchased on the open market or through Covered California. Employ
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called for property insurers in the state to step up and do more to help residents and businesses deal with
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SACRAMENTO When Laura Chavez’s 74-year-old mom needed eye surgery last month, Chavez paid cash for the procedure.
The cost? $15,000 and that was for just one eye. She couldn’t afford both.
Her mom, Esperanza Chavez, doesn’t qualify for Medicare because of her immigration status. And she can’t find a private health insurance plan under $1,000 a month.
“We’re constantly having to make decisions based on costs rather than ‘Is this medication really going to help keep you alive and healthy?’” said Laura Chavez, 41, a San Franciscan whose mother has diabetes. “It’s just unfair to have to think about it that way.”
You’ve added your kids to your health plan. What about mom?
When Laura Chavez s 74-year-old mom needed eye surgery last month, Chavez paid cash for the procedure.
The cost? $15,000 and that was for just one eye. She couldn t afford both.
Her mom, Esperanza Chavez, doesn t qualify for Medicare because of her immigration status. And she can t find a private health insurance plan under $1,000 a month. We re constantly having to make decisions based on costs rather than Is this medication really going to help keep you alive and healthy? said Laura Chavez, 41, a San Franciscan whose mother has diabetes. It s just unfair to have to think about it that way.
Op-Ed: Black-Owned Businesses Deserve Support
By Rev. Norman Copeland, Contributing Writer
Published May 5, 2021
Rev. Norman Copeland (Courtesy photo)
For the past several decades, I have been an active pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, serving fourteen congregations across Los Angeles County. It is impossible to overstate the importance of Black-owned businesses in these communities. They are the lifeblood of local commerce, but more than that, they are a means to local organization and empowerment.
I have seen firsthand the struggles of these business owners to succeed to meet their payrolls, to support their families, to always be there for their customers. It’s not always easy, especially in the wake of a year-long pandemic, and every dollar matters.