California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems Statement on the May Revise
OAKLAND, CA – Katie Rodriguez, Interim President and CEO of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH), released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s release of the May Revise today.
“We are grateful to see the Governor aim to soften the destabilizing blow of H.R. 1 on health care in California but public hospital systems cannot be excluded from the solution. The budget recognizes hospitals are in crisis, providing $50 million for hospitals in distress. Yet, the financial crisis facing public hospital systems remains ignored. No hospital system – no matter how well run, how lean, or how committed its staff – can absorb a future of multi-billion dollar losses and preserve the level of services we provide. As lawmakers work with the Governor to craft a final budget agreement, we need this fighting spirit directed to help public hospital systems because the May Revise makes our finances go from bad to worse by transferring the care for many immigrants to a fee for service system.
“California’s 17 public hospital systems urge state leaders to include $500 million in the final state budget agreement as an initial step to stabilize our operations and protect access to health care for the 3.7 million patients who depend on us. The decisions our leaders make over the next month carry enormous weight and they will determine just how severe the crisis ahead will be. CAPH looks forward to working with the Administration and Legislature to ensure public hospital systems can continue to serve as strong pillars for California’s health care safety net.”
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Statement Attributable to:
Katie Rodriguez
Interim President and CEO, CAPH