Congresswoman Laura Richardson Applauds Court's Decision to Block Medi-Cal Rate Cut

Statement

"I applaud the federal court and Judge Christina Snyder for the tentative decision to block California state officials from moving forward with a 10 percent Medi-Cal reimbursement rate cut," said Congresswoman Laura Richardson.

With California Medi-Cal rates already extremely low and many prescription medications reimbursed at breakeven rates, many health care providers cannot afford to participate. Kaiser State Health Facts lists California as the lowest reimbursed state in the nation.

"The State's insistence on balancing its budget on the backs of the poor and elderly is an outrage and can cause irremediable harm to Medi-Cal patients," said Richardson.

Last spring, the California Legislature passed and Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 97, which included a 10 percent reimbursement rate cut for physicians, dentists, pharmacists and other Medi-Cal providers. Federal approval was required before the state could implement its proposed cuts.

"The State and the Federal Government need to work together to develop a holistic approach to addressing the issue of affordable health care for our most vulnerable citizens," said Richardson. "When decisions about cuts are to be made we must explore all factors and ensure that there will be no disruption in patients' access to health care."

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