California’s health care safety net, decades in the making, is coming apart at the seams — and a new documentary from CalMatters puts a human face on what that unraveling looks like inside a Los Angeles clinic.
State budget shortfalls combined with new federal restrictions are forcing California to scale back a Medi-Cal system that once covered nearly every eligible resident. CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang was granted rare access to a Los Angeles clinic, where she documented patients facing an impossible choice between paying for medication and putting food on the table, while doctors and staff worry openly about what comes next for the patients who depend on them.
The numbers behind those individual stories are stark. A new analysis from the UC Berkeley Labor Center and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research projects California’s uninsured rate could nearly double by 2030, climbing to almost 15%. Roughly 2.2 million people are expected to lose coverage over the next four years.
“I knew it was going to be bad, but seeing that doubling was shocking to me,” said Miranda Dietz, director of the labor center’s health care program.
The pain won’t be distributed evenly. Undocumented immigrants and low-income residents are projected to suffer the steepest losses, with the uninsured rate more than doubling among Black and Asian Californians. Because Southern California is home to a disproportionate share of the state’s low-income and immigrant population, the region is expected to absorb much of the impact.
CalMatters, in partnership with Evident Media, has released a documentary examining the crisis, along with a companion article offering guidance on how Californians can protect their coverage as the rules shift.
Locally, CalMatters is hosting two upcoming public events relevant to the Inland Empire and San Diego County. On Wednesday, a free panel discussion in Riverside will bring together health, education and workforce leaders to talk about preparing California’s future workforce, moderated by CalMatters reporter Adam Echelman. And on Aug. 13, CalMatters and inewsource will host a conversation in San Ysidro about the Tijuana River contamination crisis, the environmental emergency fouling waterways and affecting public health on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
In Sacramento political news, Central Valley Assemblymember Heath Flora has been removed as Assembly Republican leader less than a year after taking the post. Fellow Republicans have installed Alexandra Macedo of Visalia in his place. Assemblymember Juan Alanis of Modesto said the shakeup stemmed largely from frustration among GOP colleagues over Flora’s support for Senate Bill 762, legislation that would let 13 local jurisdictions raise sales taxes with voter approval. Both Flora and Alanis had helped secure the votes needed to pass the measure.
Assemblymember Josh Hoover of Folsom, who will serve as the party’s new floor leader alongside Macedo, said the new leadership team intends to take a harder line against tax increases going forward. Hoover and Macedo both denied that the leadership change was connected to a recent report alleging Flora is under investigation by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission over potential violations tied to behested payments and campaign spending. The commission confirmed the probes are underway. Flora did not respond to requests for comment.
Elsewhere, California has expanded its Farm to School program, which connects public school cafeterias with nearly 600 small farms, ranchers and food producers across the state to bring fresh produce to roughly 500 school districts. Launched in 2021, the program has proven successful enough that it’s now a permanent fixture within the state Department of Food and Agriculture. Beyond fresh produce like cherry tomatoes, radishes and turnips, participating schools can also send students on farm field trips or enroll cafeteria staff in culinary training. The initiative is part of a broader school meal improvement effort that has drawn more than $1 billion in state investment since 2021.
“People think kids don’t like vegetables, but we found that if you give them fresh, delicious vegetables, they love it,” said Jacob Weiss, general manager of Spork, a Davis-based food hub that partners with local farms and schools in the program.
And finally, California’s population of nonnative mute swans has dropped by half over the past year, a sign that a state law permitting hunters and landowners to cull the birds is having its intended effect.
Original source: CalMatters
