Opinion: Prop 35 provides stability for health care delivery system

OPINION – Californians are facing a health care crisis, and, as a provider who sees children daily, I support Proposition 35.

Imagine a spirited 7-year-old full of life, curiosity, and energy. This year, her asthma symptoms spin out of control, leading to frequent visits to the emergency department and many missed days of school. Her parents, working multiple jobs to make ends meet, rely on Medi-Cal for health care. And they’re told the wait to see a pediatric pulmonologist is over three months.

Three agonizing months of uncertainty, fear, lost school and workdays, and worsening health. Prop 35 will help kids like this get the care they need, when they need it.

A 2022 Children’s Specialty Care Coalition survey revealed wait times for one-third of pediatric specialties exceeded three months. In some cases, families waited up to six months for needed specialty care.

This is not just inconvenient; it’s dangerous.

Why is it happening? The root cause is a perfect storm of challenges facing California’s health care system. For starters, the state has chronically underfunded access to care, including diverting $30 billion in health care funding to non-health care purposes over the last 15 years. It’s time for the voters to take action now.

Health care workforce shortages coming out of the pandemic and increasing demand are also exacerbating the crisis in rural, suburban, and urban communities across the state. Over 360,000 Californian children have medically complex conditions, including cerebral palsy, sickle cell disease, severe asthma, epilepsy, and congenital heart defects. That number is expected to double in the next decade.

Thankfully, advances in medicine have helped more children survive into adulthood. It also means California is home to a growing population of children who are going to require long-term and specialized medical care. The growing scarcity of pediatric specialists is a threat not just to these children with complex conditions, who frequently need care from multiple specialists, but also to any child that may need prompt specialty care.

Voting yes on Proposition 35 addresses the access crisis head-on, by providing stability for the health care delivery system rather than depending on an uncertain three-year budget cycle process. The measure funds primary care, specialty care, mental health, dental, emergency care, emergency response and more.

The measure also provides flexible spending so that any programs not explicitly listed in the measure can be funded at the state’s discretion. Despite opposition claims, this flexibility ensures that programs and providers not specifically listed in the initiative can still be funded by the state.

Voting yes would also invest critically needed funds in our state’s workforce development and training programs to increase the number of pediatric specialists AND it guarantees that 99% of funds go directly to patient care. This means more doctors, shorter wait times, and better care for all California children—without raising taxes.

Medi-Cal enrollees comprise a third of California’s population and half of the state’s children;15 million of our neighbors who rely on Medi-Cal for medical, dental and mental health care. Far too many of my patients face systemic barriers to accessing timely, affordable, and quality care. What’s more, because so many children depend on Medi-Cal, the funding crisis in Medi-Cal affects access to specialists for all children, regardless of insurance. Supporting Proposition 35 is also a vote for equity in health care because it will bridge gaps and disparities throughout the system while supporting better health outcomes for all our children.

Let’s ensure that every child in California, regardless of their family’s income or zip code, has access to the care they need when they need it. Vote Yes on Proposition 35. Visit voteyes35.com  for more information.

Dr. Carlos Lerner is a complex care pediatrician and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics. He also serves as the Board Chair for the Children’s Specialty Care Coalition