Wendy Lazarus Responds to California Budget Agreement

SACRAMENTO, CA (June 16, 2015) – In response to the budget agreement reached by California Governor Jerry Brown and the California Legislative leadership today, Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership, issued the following statement:

“Today’s budget agreement represents a milestone for the health and well-being of California children. The $40 million expansion of Medi-Cal to low-income undocumented children helps guarantee all of our kids are healthy and ready to learn. Not only is the State making a smart investment in preventive health care, we will see long-term benefits as children with health coverage are more likely to graduate from high school and complete college. We thank the Governor and California Legislative leadership for proving once again that California is leading the nation in improving access to health care and coverage in all communities.

With an established funding mechanism, we hope that the other key provisions in SB 4 will continue to move forward to the finish line. Investing in the health of hardworking immigrant parents and their children has substantial and lasting impacts that benefit all Californians. Our state has the solid foundation needed to expand health care for all families and the momentum should continue.”