Protect Access to Community Health Care: Peach Tree Health Opposes Prop 44
Peach Tree Health is joining community health centers, doctors, nurses, and patients across California in opposing Proposition 44 this November.
Prop 44 would require nonprofit health centers like ours to meet strict spending rules or face financial penalties. On the surface, that might sound reasonable. In practice, it puts the care our community depends on at risk.
What Prop 44 Would Do
An independent study by the Berkeley Research Group found the measure would:
- Cut $1.7 billion from community health centers and clinics in its first year alone.
- Leave 88% of clinics, ours among them, with negative operating margins.
- Put care at risk for more than 11 million people who rely on clinics like ours every year.
Who This Affects
As a Federally Qualified Health Center serving Yuba, Sutter, Butte, and Sacramento counties, Peach Tree Health exists for people who might not otherwise have anywhere else to turn. We accept Medi-Cal, offer a sliding fee scale, and see:
- Working families
- Seniors and veterans
- Medi-Cal patients
- People with no insurance at all
Everyone is welcome regardless of ability to pay. Prop 44 puts that access at risk.
What Prop 44 Leaves Out
This measure is written in a way that excludes funding for many of the roles and services that keep a clinic running day to day, including:
- Enrollment navigators, billing staff, and clinic office staff
- Translation services and transportation support
- Telehealth technology and patient medical records
- Rent, utilities, and building maintenance
None of these are extras but make it possible to get an appointment, get to your visit, and be understood once you arrive.
The Local Impact
For rural and underserved communities, the stakes go even higher. In many towns, a clinic like ours is the only source of care for miles. If Prop 44 forces health centers to cut services or close, people lose access to primary care, prenatal care, mental health support, and dental care close to home.
When people can’t get the checkup that catches a problem early, they end up in the emergency room later, and wait times grow for everyone.
We Already Answer to You
Peach Tree Health already answers to the community we serve:
- We’re heavily regulated by federal and state government, with regular audits and reporting requirements
- We’re a not-for-profit organization, and our resources go toward care, not toward shareholders
- A majority of our board of directors are our own patients, so our decisions reflect the needs of the people we serve
We’re Not Alone
Peach Tree Health stands with a broad coalition of patients, doctors, nurses, teachers, and community leaders across the state who are asking voters to reject this measure, including:
- California Primary Care Association
- California Medical Association
- California Academy of Family Physicians
- California Hospital Association
- California School Nurses Organization
- California Teachers Association
- Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
What You Can Do
To learn more about Prop 44 and how it could affect care in our community, visit NoProp44.com. We’re asking our neighbors to vote no this November, so Peach Tree Health can keep its doors open and stay by your side.