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Sample Letter SB 33
DATE
Governor Edmund Gerald Brown, Jr.
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
FAX: (916) 558-3160
Re: SB 33 (Hernandez) - Support
Dear Governor Brown:
I am writing to ask for your signature on SB 33 (Hernandez), which addresses a number of barriers to enrollment in Medi-Cal by low-income consumers, particularly homeowners.
California’s Medi-Cal Recovery program requires the state to place a claim on the estates of those who received Medi-Cal benefits when they were 55 years or older to recoup benefits paid, regardless of the amount or type of medical services received. This mandate is somewhat unique to California. Federal law does not require California to collect for optional benefits for those 55 and over. Federal law does not require California to place claims on the estates of surviving spouses. While other states have limited recovery to long-term care Medi-Cal services, California has maintained one of the most aggressive recovery programs in the country.
The total amount recovered by the state’s Medi-Cal program amounts to less than one percent of the total Medi-Cal budget. Furthermore, the cost of this inequitable system far outweighs the benefits. Generations of families lose their family homes. Many Californians are deterred from seeking health care coverage altogether. Minority and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted, because they can rarely afford $300/hour attorney fees for estate planning, and are not adequately informed of their rights regarding the transfer of their homes in the first place.
Furthermore, the state only recoups costs from the lowest-income Californians. Higher income beneficiaries who receive health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act are not required to repay the state. This inequitable recovery system helps create a new generation of Medi-Cal beneficiaries, forcing low-income families to sell the homes to pay off the claim, or make monthly payments while being charged 7% interest.
Sincerely,
__NAME____
cc: Senator Ed Hernandez
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform