Sacramento, CA – The Fight for Our Health coalition – led by SEIU California, Health Access, and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network – today thanked Governor Gavin Newsom, the California State Senate, and the Assembly for reaching a final budget agreement that advances a Fair Share Contribution to hold the largest corporations responsible for contributing to Medi-Cal when they push their workforce onto the safety net. The agreement advances a critical commitment to protecting health care access for millions of residents in the face of escalating attacks by President Trump and Republicans in Congress.

“The Governor and the Legislature did more than reach a budget deal today – they laid the groundwork for a serious, sustained commitment to funding health care and support services in this state,” said Judy Mark, President, Disability Voices United, an organization led by and for people with disabilities. “Together, they’ve opened the door to a revenue path that asks corporations to pay their fair share, and they’ve broadened the circle of Californians who can keep the coverage they depend on – including hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid-funded programs not just for doctor’s visits, but for the home and community-based services that let them live independently, stay in their homes, and stay out of institutions. In the face of President Trump’s deadly cuts, that protection matters now more than ever.”

The coalition emphasized that this budget comes at a moment when Washington has put the health care cost burden on the shoulders of California taxpayers – largely workers, seniors, parents of children living with disabilities, people fighting cancer, veterans, and more. Provisions in President Trump’s H.R. 1 are projected to strip health coverage from 3 million Californians through new work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and deep cuts to Medi-Cal funding – costs that California will be left to absorb or offset on its own.

“Californians across the state made it clear that they want corporations to pay their fair share and Governor Newsom and the Legislature listened,” said Rachel Linn Gish, Interim Deputy Director for Health Access. “The inclusion of the Fair Share plan in the final budget agreement is proof that California will not sit back in the face of relentless federal attacks on our care.”

Fight for Our Health also pointed to California’s economic standing as both a responsibility and an opportunity.

“When Trump and Republicans in Congress put our lives on the line with H.R. 1 cuts, communities stood up to fight for our health care. Today’s budget agreement takes important steps to hold corporations accountable when they create poverty and shift their costs onto the safety net,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. “Our fight for corporations to pay their fair share is just beginning; we refuse to stand by and watch corporations grow richer while Californians get sicker.”

The Fight for Our Health coalition applauded the Governor and legislative leaders for reaching this agreement and pledged to continue working with them in the years ahead to defend and expand access to affordable health care for every Californian.

“This isn’t an abstract fight for workers,” said Guillermo Mendoza Lujan RN, SEIU 121RN Secretary Treasurer. “I see what happens when people lose coverage – they put off that doctor’s visit, they skip medication refills, and their condition gets worse and worse. When they finally do get through the hospital doors, the cost of getting the care they need is astronomical, making it impossible for them to afford – and driving up the cost of care for everyone else. We won’t be going away now that this budget has passed. Too many peoples’ lives are at risk. Every single year, we’re going to show up at the Capitol to ask the governor and legislative leaders the same question: are you going to help us keep our families healthy, or not? This year, they answered that question – and we are grateful.”

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