California Senate Passes Three Bills to Expand Medi-Cal, Healthy Families

The California Senate this week passed a package of bills that would expand access to public health care programs to an estimated two million state residents lacking health care coverage, the Sacramento Bee reports. Sponsored by state Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento), the bills aim to expand Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, and Healthy Families, the state's CHIP program, to working Californians who do not receive "sufficient" employer-sponsored health coverage. The measures passed by the Senate include:

• SB 402: The measure would expand Healthy Families, at a cost of $9 million annually, to 19- and 20-year-olds whose families qualify.
• SB 785: The bill would expand Healthy Families coverage to parents in families with annual incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level, or $36,575 for a family of three. The measure would cost an estimated $20.9 million annually. Gov. Gray Davis (D) has proposed expanding Healthy Families coverage to parents whose families earn up to 200% the federal poverty level.
• SB 833: The bill would eliminate the Medi-Cal assets test, which includes stock and home ownership when considering resident eligibility for the program.