California Budget: Jerry Brown Calls for Counties to Take On More Safety-Net Responsibilities

On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown announced a budget plan that calls for significant reductions to social service programs that sustain a broad swath of Californians, from working-poor parents to critically ill patients.

Under the proposal, low-income HIV/AIDS patients would pay more for treatment provided by California's AIDS Drug Assistance Program. ADAP clients with a post-tax income of $21,000 would have a $1,300 co-pay deductible for their medicines. Such a move "would be a death warrant for many AIDS patients," AIDS Healthcare Foundation responded.

Among other changes, Brown wants a major shift of services from the state to the county level, with 58 locally run programs for the elderly, foster care, and drug and alcohol treatment. Medi-Cal reimbursements for doctors and other service providers, which already rank among the nation's lowest, would be cut further, and patients would see increased co-payments.

Because funding for Brown's budget is contingent upon an extension of taxes over the next five years, voters would need to approve the plan before it can take effect.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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