SACRAMENTO – Four of California’s leading Latino organizations, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), Latino Issues Forum (LIF), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), today called on Governor Schwarzenegger to ensure that the 2007 health care reform plan provides access to high-quality health care to all communities without placing an undue burden on working families.

In California, 20% of the overall population is uninsured, and the vast majority of the uninsured are working families. Despite their high participation rates in the state’s workforce, Latinos still face tremendous obstacles in accessing affordable health insurance, including cost, language, and access to job-based coverage. Such barriers would require Latinos to forego basic necessities such as food and housing in order to pay for even the most basic health coverage.

As outlined by the Governor today, the plan places too much of the burden on individuals and families. Without a system that requires equal and shared responsibility from providers, businesses, health plans, and consumers, working families will be forced to carry the lion’s share of costs.

The Governor’s proposal is an important first step in providing the basic framework for building a comprehensive health care plan for the state of California. If that plan truly serves all communities and has a system of real cost-sharing, California can serve as an example to the nation of how a state can provide comprehensive, quality and affordable health care to all its residents.

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