Why billionaires should help CA families facing health cuts

By Josephine Rios, Special for CalMatters

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Doctors told us my grandson wouldn’t live past three months, but they didn’t know Elijah was capable of. Today he’s 7 years old, stubborn as ever and fighting every day to prove them wrong.

Elijah was born with cerebral palsy. Caring for him is a full-time, all-hands-on-deck operation that includes in-home nurses, physical and occupational therapy, school support and a small pharmacy’s worth of medications. 

None of that care is optional. It’s what keeps him alive, learning, laughing and giving me attitude. 

It’s only possible because of Medi-Cal. Now California’s health care system — the system that keeps Elijah alive — is being pushed to the brink. With $100 billion a year in federal health care cuts barreling toward Americans, California is expected to lose about $30 billion a year in Medi-Cal funding. 

Families like mine are living in a state of panic. Elijah’s medications alone would run over $5,000 a month. That’s not a “tough choice” for a working family — that’s impossible. 

And the emergency rooms we rely on when his seizures hit? They may not even be open.

This isn’t a hypothetical threat. This is my reality. It’s the reality of millions of Californians who depend on the care we’ve been promised.

This disaster is preventable. There’s a simple, fair, no-nonsense solution on the table, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act. I’m one of thousands of Californians fighting for it, as the campaign collects signatures to place the proposal on the ballot this year.

As a nursing assistant, union member and grandmother battling to keep a special needs child healthy, I don’t have time for political games. I’m interested in what works, and this would work.

The measure would create a one-time, 5% emergency tax on Californians worth more than $1 billion. That’s roughly 200 people, who together hold more than $2 trillion in wealth. The tax would be spread out over a five-year span.

And because of loopholes in tax law, most of that money may never be taxed at all.

This proposal would raise $100 billion for California. It would keep hospitals open, protect Medi-Cal, prevent layoffs of health care workers and keep 3.4 million Californians who are at risk insured.

In other words, it would keep my grandson and many others alive.

As for the billionaires, they honestly wouldn’t even feel it.

I’ve heard some people say this tax is “punishing success.” Give me a break. Working families already pay our share. We pay it every time we choose which bills to pay. Every time we work a double shift. Every time we sit in an ER praying that the lights stay on long enough to keep our kids breathing.

All we’re asking is for the tiny group who benefit the most from California’s economy, to pitch in one time to prevent a total health care collapse. That’s not punishment. That’s responsibility.

Voters from across the political spectrum support this. When your child or parent is sick, politics matter a whole lot less than their survival.

The ultra-wealthy and their lobbyists are already gearing up to fight this effort. They always do. They’re loud, they’re powerful and they’re used to getting their way.

But I’ve got news for them: so am I. I’ve had to fight for Elijah since the day he was born. I’ve fought for my patients, my coworkers and my community for decades. I know how to stand my ground, and I know I’m not standing alone.

California is at the cliff’s edge. We can either let the healthcare system fall, or we can pull together and pull it back.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.