Hos Mobilizing For Health Equity Advocacy Day 2023 - Talking Points 1

MOBILIZING FOR HEALTH EQUITY ADVOCACY DAY 2023
LEGISLATIVE VISIT TALKING POINTS
GENERAL TALKING POINTS

We are here today as the Having Our Say Coalition (HOS), a community-based network
comprised of over 35 community-based organizations throughout the state.
HOS was founded in 2007 to raise the voices of communities of color and advocate for
policies that advance health equity and racial justice.
Since our founding, HOS envisions a world in which all communities have an equal
opportunity to live with optimal physical, mental, oral, and overall health and well-being.
Communities of color experience significantly poorer health outcomes and are more
likely to live in regions of the state that do not provide systems to promote good health.
Health inequities were exacerbated during the public health emergency and now, we
have renewed opportunities to advocate with our elected officials to reduce racial
disparities in our social safety nets.
Everyone needs the same opportunities to be healthy and reach their full potential to
achieve equity for all.
We can send a powerful message to the nation if the Governor and Legislature pass and
fund progressive policies that advance equity and inclusion.
Having Our Say Contact Information

Andre Barrios, Sr. Community Advocacy Manager: abarrios@cpehn.org
Seleny Diaz, Sr. Community Advocacy Coordinator: sdiaz@cpehn.org
Johan Cardenas, Legislative Associate: jcardenas@cpehn.org
BUDGET PRIORITY: HEALTH EQUITY & RACIAL

JUSTICE FUND (EGGMAN AND ARAMBULA)
WHAT DOES THE PROPOSAL DO?
The California Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund (HERJF) proposes a state-funded grant
program to fund community-based organizations, clinics, and tribal organizations advancing
health equity and racial justice projects in the regions they serve. The investment requests
$50M over two years to create a grant program within the Department of Public Health’s
Office of Health Equity (OHE) to oversee the distribution of funding to local organizations
advancing health equity through projects targeting social determinants of health or racial
equity.
TALKING POINTS
Share your personal connection to this issue, talk about the human costs of not addressing
social determinants such as housing and food insecurity.
The Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund is an investment in public health. HERJ would
enable community-based organizations, community clinics, and tribal organizations, to
ramp up collaborative efforts with public health departments to address health
inequities throughout underserved regions in the state.
Projects funded for racial justice would seek to transform the behaviors, institutions,
and systems that disproportionately harm historically marginalized communities and
create barriers to opportunity
CBOs and community providers bring a unique expertise which lies within their trusted
relationships in the communities they serve, multi-lingual capacity, cultural accessibility,
and deep knowledge about the causes and solutions of racial disparities at the local
level.
Health equity and racial justice are deeply intertwined, and we urge legislators to create
the framework for this fund this year to reduce health disparities and improve health
outcomes in communities that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19.
STATUS
This is a budget priority (no bill/legislation) that is being championed by the
Senate Health Committee Chair, Senator Susan Eggman, and the Assemblymember Dr.
Joaquin Arambula, who is championing establishing the framework in statute this year.

AB 311 (SANTIAGO)/SB 245 (HURTADO):

FOOD4ALL
Budget request of $358M in 2023-2024, $715.5M in 2024-2025, and ongoing funds to expand
the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to all who are currently ineligible solely due to
immigration status.

Food insecurity prevents many Californians from achieving optimal health outcomes. In
2021-2022, the State Budget included a $5M investment for necessary automation and
system upgrades for CFAP and in 2022-2023, there were additional investments of $35M
to begin expanding CFAP to undocumented Californians ages 55 and above. However, the
Governor’s January budget seeks to delay this expansion to 2027. AB 311 (Santiago) and SB
245 (Hurtado) would expand CFAP access to all Californians regardless of age or
immigration status.
TALKING POINTS
Share your personal connection to this issue, talk about the human costs food insecurity can
cause for individuals and their families.
No Californians should be excluded from food benefits. Undocumented Californians are
unjustly excluded from CalFresh, the California food Assistance Program (CFAP), and
other crucial benefits. These exclusions contribute to serious consequences for health,
financial security, and long-term success.
Immigrant justice is food justice. Californians who are immigrants already face
discrimination to meet their basic needs. Food should not be another barrier.
Nearly 1 in 10 children who live in California have at least one parent who is
undocumented. [The Children's Partnership - Children in Immigrant Families] Children
who receive food assistance do better academically and have improved economic
outcomes. [National Bureau of Economic Research] This is why every household should
have access to food.
STATUS
AB 311 (Santiago) – Passed Assembly Human Services Committee, scheduled for a
hearing in Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 3, 2023.
SB 245 (Hurtado) – passed Senate Human Services Committee, placed on the Suspense
File in Senate Appropriations Committee. *This is where reference to the budget request
would be helpful if any questions come up*

AB 1208 (SCHIAVO): COVERED CALIFORNIA

AFFORDABILITY ASSISTANCE
California’s state-based marketplace, Covered California, provides millions of Californians
with health insurance. While many have benefited from subsidies and affordability
assistance, individuals enrolled in Covered CA’s Siler Plan, which is the mid-tier plan, saw
deductibles and co-pays increase as much as 88% over the last nine years. AB 1208 will
direct Covered California to provide state subsidies that may be used to lower these
expenses and ensure community members are not deterred from visiting their doctor due to
out-of-pocket costs.
TALKING POINTS
Share your personal connection to this issue, talk about the human costs of not being able to
access or use your health care because it is too expensive.
Affordability remains a significant barrier to Californians accessing health care they
need, when they need it.
60% of Californians report feeling worried about out-of-pocket costs when using health
insurance. [2022 California Health Care Foundation Policy Survey]
People who are Black (67%) or Latino/x (53%) were more likely to skip or delay care
than those who are White (47%) or Asian (35%). Of those who skipped or delayed care,
half of them (50%) say their condition got worse as a result. [2022 California Health
Care Foundation Policy Survey]
AB 1208 will ensure our state establishes a responsibility to provide subsidy support for
communities in need during a time when many Californians are desperately in need of
health care.
STATUS
Passed Assembly Health Committee, placed on Suspense File in Assembly Appropriations
Committee.

SB 435 (GONZALEZ): LATINX AND INDIGENOUS

DISPARITIES REDUCTION ACT
Budget request of $5M one-time funding to provide assistance for departments to
upgrade their systems and technology for the collection of demographic data collected
under SB 435.

The Latinx community is diverse and varies widely in terms of ethnicity, culture, and
language. However, Latinx is not all encompassing and does not represent Indigenous
communities or languages. California has one of the largest Indigenous Mesoamerican
populations in the country and these subgroups face unique health outcomes that are
distinct from Latinx communities. SB 435 takes a critical and necessary first step to address
underlying health inequities for Latinx and Indigenous Mesoamericans by requiring state
departments to collect and disaggregate data for these communities.
TALKING POINTS
Share your personal connection to this issue, talk about the human costs lack of data can
lend to the erasure of communities and their underlying needs.
Latinos are 1.7 times more likely to contract COVID-19 than their non-Latino, white
counterparts and are 2.8 times more likely to die from the virus. [Economic Policy
Institute Report]
More specific data could allow public health departments and health systems to provide
culturally competent and responsive information and care to address these disparities.
Additionally, California does not currently collect data on Mesoamerican Indigenous
communities. The state must start collecting data on Mesoamerican indigenous
languages to understand the specific needs of these communities to equitably access
and utilize health care programs, social services, and other resources.
STATUS
Passed Senate Governmental Organization, Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate
Appropriations Committee. Pending Senate Floor Vote.

AB 85 (WEBER): IMPROVING ACCESS TO SOCIAL

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH SCREENINGS
In order to address deeply embedded health inequities, California needs to address social
determinants of health, which disproportionately impact communities of color. In recent
years, California has taken great strides to expand access to the community-based
healthcare workforce that includes Community Health Workers, Promotoras, and
Community Health Representatives (CHWPRs). Their models of care provide communities
of color with in-language and culturally sensitive prevention services to combat racial and
ethnic disparities in our health care systems. AB 85 would (1) ensure providers are
reimbursed for patient screenings on social determinants of health and (2) ensure referrals
and coverage for services provided by CHWPRs and social workers.
TALKING POINTS
Share your personal connection to this issue, talk about the human costs of not addressing
social determinants such as housing and food insecurity.
AB 85 compliments the CHW services provided under Medi-Cal and CalAIM by
incentivizing the use of screenings and connecting community members with community
health workers to address unmet social needs that will result in better health outcomes.
AB 85 also fills the gaps in screenings and availability of community health workers or
social workers for populations outside of Medi-Cal who also have social needs, including
the Covered California population.
Food-insecure individuals are 20 percent more likely to report that they have
hypertension and 30 percent more likely to report that they have hyperlipidemia than
their food-secure counterparts. [University of California, Berkeley - Division of
Community Health and Human Development]
Substandard housing conditions such as poor ventilation, pest infestation, and water
leaks are directly associated with respiratory diseases such as asthma. [American
Journal of Public Health - Housing and Health: Time Again for Public Health Action]
STATUS
Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.


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Copyright:

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MOBILIZING FOR HEALTH EQUITY ADVOCACY DAY 2023

LEGISLATIVE VISIT TALKING POINTS

GENERAL TALKING POINTS

Having Our Say Contact Information

BUDGET PRIORITY: HEALTH EQUITY & RACIAL

Having Our Say Contact Information

AB 311 (SANTIAGO)/SB 245 (HURTADO):

WHAT DOES THE PROPOSAL DO?

Having Our Say Contact Information

AB 1208 (SCHIAVO): COVERED CALIFORNIA

Having Our Say Contact Information

SB 435 (GONZALEZ): LATINX AND INDIGENOUS

WHAT DOES THE PROPOSAL DO?

Having Our Say Contact Information

AB 85 (WEBER): IMPROVING ACCESS TO SOCIAL

Having Our Say Contact Information

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