Policy Advocacy

Rep Frank Trent re-introduce Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011, which is a slick attempt to end abortion rights for women of color. We need your support in telling Congress that this is not OK, and women of color’s health and wellbeing should not be used as a political tool. We need you to send letters, call your Representatives and make sure women of color reproductive rights don’t get thrown under the bus!

In a friend-of-the court brief filed last week, the United States Solicitor General wrote on behalf of the Obama administration asking the Supreme Court to find that Section (30)(A) cannot be privately enforced. According to the brief, enforcement should be the sole purview of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (who is statutorily authorized to terminate federal funding). A copy of the brief is attached so you can read it for yourself.

Governor Brown’s proposal to eliminate the California Commission on the Status of Women is both unbelievable and unacceptable. California women did not put him into office to eliminate one of our primary channels for a voice on public policy.

HEALTHY FAMILIES CUTS MADE IN MARCH FOR FY2011-12
* Increase monthly premiums for families between 200 and 250 percent FPL by $18 per child, an increase of 75%, (with a family maximum of $126); and for families between 150-200% FPL by $14/child by nearly 100%. Raise emergency room co-payments from $15 to $50 and raising hospital inpatient services co-payments of $100 per day with a $200 maximum ($0.7 million).

Health care costs negatively impact California’s economy and state budget, limiting access and quality for Californians and rapidly increasing costs for employers and families. The U.S. spends over $2.5 trillion (17.6% of our GDP) on health care—twice as much as other wealthy nations—and health insurance premiums annually grow 4 times faster than wages.