More than a half million California residents remain uninsured, despite the expansion of Medi-Cal to all financially eligible residents, regardless of immigration status. That’s because Covered California currently prohibits undocumented residents from accessing health care coverage. Assembly Bill 4 (AB 4) would change that. Today, two leaders from L.A. Care Health Plan wrote a letter to the Chair of the California Senate Appropriations Committee to express support for AB 4.
In the letter, Alex Li, MD, L.A. Care’s Chief Health Equity Officer, and Cristina Inglese, the health plan’s Executive Director for Commercial Products, say the state has demonstrated principled leadership in extending healthcare coverage through Medi-Cal, regardless of immigration status. They say it’s time to demonstrate the same leadership to help those not financially eligible for Medi-Cal. Li and Inglese say passing AB 4 would help these 500,000+ individuals gain access to health care without fear of medical debt.
Li and Inglese maintain that AB4 would help reduce healthcare disparities. They say California is stronger when everyone has access to equitable health care. This position aligns with L.A. Care’s commitment to health equity, which means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.