Merced County officials discuss report on expanding health care coverage

Most San Joaquin Valley residents oppose expanding affordable health coverage to include undocumented immigrants, according to a report presented at Thursday’s Merced County Health Care Consortium meeting.

The voting poll, conducted by the California Endowment’s Healthy California Program, shows that in the state, 54 percent of Californians support expanding coverage for all, but only 44 percent in the San Joaquin Valley support the idea.

According to Marisol Avina and Marlon Cuellar, program managers with Healthy California, the data was gathered through 800 phone interviews with registered voters statewide. Eighty-four of those interviews were made in the San Joaquin Valley, including Merced, Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties.

Through the Affordable Care Act, more than 1 million Californians who previously did not qualify were able to receive coverage. However, the health care reform still excludes undocumented immigrants. The endowment’s #Health4All campaign promotes the idea of expanding access to coverage to the remaining uninsured, which includes 1 million Californians currently not eligible to benefit from the health care law due to their immigration status.

Forty nine percent of those who do support the expansion of coverage for all in the Central Valley are guided by the notion that it’s the “right thing to do,” according to the report. Cuellar said for supporters, it makes economic sense. #Health4All advocates believe access to health care for everyone creates a stronger community and economy, because when people lack coverage, they wait to get treated until their condition worsens, which then requires expensive emergency care, he said.

However, opponents believe that extending health coverage to the undocumented population will force the state to raise taxes, and will just add to the dilemma of doctor shortages and crowded emergency rooms, Cuellar said.

Avina added that people’s opinions are largely influenced by the messaging and how the issue is presented. For that reason, the campaign has launched a series of “health happens here” TV ads and billboards placed in airports and even inside the Capitol to keep the topic in legislators’ minds, Avina said. However, the ads have not been welcomed by everyone. Avina shared that recently a billboard that shows three young adults with “Undocumented Californian Facts” was banned from the Sacramento International Airport.

The next step, according to the program managers, is to provide Valley residents with information that will better educate them on how an expansion of coverage would benefit all.

This story was originally published October 23, 2014 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Merced County officials discuss report on expanding health care coverage."