Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement in reaction to California’s estimate of the effect of the Republican health care plan’s changes to Medicaid:

“The Republican health care plan would end Medicaid as we know it.  California’s Health and Human Services Agency today provided a clear picture of how these changes would affect the state. As expected, they would devastate the budget.

“In 2020, California would pay $6 billion more to cover Medi-Cal beneficiaries. By 2027, the state would pay $24 billion more.

“To put this in perspective, California has a more than $7 billion rainy-day fund to cover unexpected needs. The costs imposed by the Republican plan would nearly exhaust the fund in 2020, and the state would have no way to cover them in subsequent years. It couldn’t possibly cover a $24 billion gap.

“Four million Californians who gained Medi-Cal coverage under the Affordable Care Act would lose it. For the 8 million Californians remaining in the program, the state would be on the hook for all health care costs above a certain threshold.

“Two-thirds of Medi-Cal dollars are spent on care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. The state would be forced to short-change other priorities to continue to provide care for these vulnerable individuals. 

“The bottom line is that no Californian should support this bill.”