The State of California is contemplating devastating budget cuts to address the $16 billion budget gap for the next fiscal year. Among the programs expected to be axed are dental services to adults who are currently covered by Medi-Cal. Legislators are also planning to reduce Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and make it harder for families in poverty to qualify for subsidized coverage.
As CHAP has demonstrated over its ten year history, the best way to reduce health care costs is to make primary and preventive medical and dental care accessible and affordable. By promoting healthy lifestyles and offering early intervention to chronic or life-threatening illnesses, clinics like CHAP help to keep low-income patients in their jobs and homes and out of the emergency room.
While we still hold out hope for a reprieve from the Governor, the fact remains that California’s health care safety net is already underfunded. We need your help to ensure that CHAP has adequate resources to meet the health care needs of our community.
We would like to ask you to make a gift to the CHAP Care Fund to underwrite the direct medical services that we provide to low-income families from Pasadena and Altadena for which we receive no compensation from any public or private payer source. You may make a donation by visiting www.chapcare.org and clicking the “Donate Now” button.
As CHAP continues its second decade of service to the greater Pasadena community, it is essential that those of us who have health insurance, secure employment and abundant financial resources ensure that our neighbors have access to affordable, high quality medical and dental care.
