COMMONSENSE MEASURE WILL SAVE JOBS AND KEEP LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOMS OPEN THROUGH ONE-TIME TAX ON BILLIONAIRES
Fresno, Calif. — California’s billionaires pay much lower tax rates than what working families pay out of every paycheck. And now, massive federal funding cuts have begun to push key parts of the California healthcare system to the brink of collapse, including many hospitals and clinics serving residents in Fresno County.
To stop these dire consequences, Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula (31st District – southern and western Fresno County), is entering the battle, calling on billionaires to pay their fair share.
“California’s healthcare infrastructure is under enormous strain, and working families are paying the price while billionaires continue to benefit from an economy built by our communities,” said Joaquin Arambula, California Assembly Member for District 31. “No one should lose access to lifesaving care, face longer emergency room wait times, or worry about keeping their local hospital open. The California Billionaire Tax is about protecting healthcare and investing in our future. I’m proudly supporting this measure and urge Californians to vote yes in November.”
Several area hospitals serving local residents are at risk of closing because of federal healthcare cuts. They include:
- Saint Agnes Medical Center
- Community Regional Medical Center
- Fresno Community Hospital
- Adventist Health Selma
As federal healthcare cuts from H.R. 1 begin to rip healthcare away from millions of Californians, Arambula is joining a growing list of lawmakers supporting a one-time 5% emergency tax on California’s roughly 200 billionaires as a direct response to the massive cuts. The commonsense measure is designed to ensure that billionaires pay their fair share to stabilize and protect the state’s vast healthcare system, including hospitals, nursing homes, community health centers, and home care services. The California Billionaire Tax coalition also recently filed more than 1.5 million signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
“I see every day what happens when hospitals are stretched beyond their limits,” said Jessica De Leon-Espino, pediatric medical assistant at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center. “Without the Billionaire Tax, patients will face longer emergency room wait times, short staffing, fewer services, and the real possibility of hospitals closing their doors altogether. We can’t let that happen.”
The more than 400 hospitals statewide have already laid off more than 3,400 healthcare workers as of mid-March, with a second wave of layoffs expected as funding cuts tied to recent federal policy changes are phased in over the next several years. Statewide, projections show the cuts could result in the loss of up to 145,000 healthcare jobs, impacting hospitals, clinics, and home care providers alike.
Without revenue from the California Billionaire Tax, federal healthcare cuts are expected to put an estimated 83 California hospitals and clinics at risk of closure. Cuts and closures have already started, impacting communities from Los Angeles to Oakland to Glenn County.
In November, California voters will at last have a chance to make billionaires pay their fair share to help prevent that, through a commonsense ballot initiative that places a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of approximately 200 billionaires who reside in the Golden State. Ninety percent of that funding will go to offset Medi-Cal cuts in order to prevent ER and other service closures, and 10% will go toward funding food assistance and public education.
About the California Billionaire Tax Act
The California Billionaire Tax Act proposes a one-time emergency tax on the wealth of the state’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals to safeguard Medi-Cal, keep hospitals and emergency rooms open, expand food assistance, and support public education. The initiative is a direct response to federal healthcare cuts under HR1 that threaten healthcare access and economic stability for millions of Californians.
| Paid for by Save California Health Care and Public Education, Sponsored by Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West. Committee’s Top Funder Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West |
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