Peach Tree Health ACA Repeal Letter
Dear Peach Tree Health Patients & Supporters:
On behalf of Peach Tree Health and the 30,000 patients we serve, I am writing to share our opposition to the recently introduced American Health Care Act. The Act harms our communities by rolling back the coverage and services for our patients that are accessed through the Medi-Cal program and Medicaid Expansion.
Peach Tree Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) committed to providing personalized, affordable, high-quality health services. Peach Tree Health provides comprehensive medical, dental, vision and behavioral health services across the life span in the northern California counties of Butte, Sacramento, Sutter and Yuba. Peach Tree Health operates ten community health center sites and two mobile dental clinics, which serve over 31,000 patients through over 100,000 visits. Peach Tree’s services target the uninsured and underserved families throughout the region.
Peach Tree Health is part of a system of community health centers throughout California that collectively serve 6 million people each year through nearly 20 million visits with almost 60% of patients being enrolled in Medi-Cal. Peach Tree Health is above the state average with 70% of our patients relying on Medi-Cal for access to health care. According to a study by the California HealthCare Foundation, community health centers provide care to 1.3 million new patients that enrolled in Medi-Cal through the Medicaid Expansion. With over half of our patients on Medi-Cal, decreases to the Medicaid Expansion and the Medi-Cal program will have dramatic impact on our ability to provide care to our patients.
The newly introduced American Health Care Act legislation in Congress significantly rolls back the Medicaid Expansion and will change the existing Medicaid program. Moreover, moving Medicaid to a per capita cap or block grant funding formula will result in a loss of funds for the program and a decrease in eligibility and services.
The Medicaid Expansion and Medi-Cal program are working in California and we encourage thorough and thoughtful consideration to any potential changes to this important program.
Thank you for your continued support of community health centers and Peach Tree Health and we encourage you to get involved in securing health care for communities throughout California.
Sincerely,
Greg Stone
Chief Executive Officer