SACRAMENTO, Calif. – State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson anticipates that California’s sprawling Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, may need to be dialed back after Gov. Gavin Newsom releases his latest budget, which could reflect a multibillion-dollar deficit.
Even so, the physician-turned-lawmaker, who was elected to the state Senate in November, says her priorities as chair of a budget health subcommittee include preserving coverage for the state’s most vulnerable, particularly children and people with chronic health conditions.
“We will be spending many, many hours and long nights figuring this out,” Weber Pierson said of the lead-up to the state’s June 15 deadline for lawmakers to pass a balanced budget…