Should The Feds Pay For Higher Medi-Cal Rates In The Valley? Two Congressmen Say ‘Yes’

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The expansion of Medi-Cal in the Central Valley under the Affordable Care Act has been key to slashing the area’s uninsured rate in half in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of people signed up, and in most valley counties, about half of the population is on Medi-Cal. But according to some, having more people on the program has compounded the problem of low reimbursement rates for physicians and the area’s long-running doctor shortage. Now, two valley Republican congressmen think they might have a fix with new legislation. Representatives Jeff Denham and David Valadao have co-sponsored House Bill 2779 which would use federal money to pay doctors more for providing Medi-Cal services in some of the poorest areas of the state like the Central Valley. “In California, one of our biggest challenges is the governor reimburses at 48 out 50 [states] in the country. So while we are one of the most prosperous states, we reimburse at one of the lowest rates,” Denham says. It is true that
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