Planned Parenthood Statement on Budget Agreement and Votes

June 27, 2023

Jennifer Wonnacott

SACRAMENTO—Statement from Jodi Hicks, CEO/President of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, on the 2023-24 state budget agreement and subsequent bipartisan votes for AB 119, the Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax bill and AB 118, the health trailer bill:

“Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California thanks Governor Newsom, Senate pro Tem Atkins, Speaker Rendon and the legislature for their work, as outlined in the budget agreement, to ensure meaningful and equitable access to care for the 15 million Californians on Medi-Cal. In seizing the opportunity presented by the renewal of the MCO tax and working with a broad coalition of health care stakeholders to make targeted significant investments, California is poised to not only expand Medi-Cal eligibility, but to fulfill its promise of access to care.

“As community health centers, more than 85% of the patient population seen at Planned Parenthood statewide have insurance coverage through Medi-Cal programs. Targeted investments like this have a direct impact on the communities that Planned Parenthood serves, opening the door to care for patients who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to access it.

“We join fellow provider organizations and health care partners in applauding the renewal of the MCO tax. This renewal marks the largest investment in the Medi-Cal system in decades and, for the first time, includes agreements to allocate significant funding in those services that will have the greatest impact on our state’s Medi-Cal patients in terms of access, including for family planning, maternal health, behavioral health, and primary care. We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and the Legislature on protecting and expanding access to reproductive and sexual health care in California.”

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