Advocates tell supervisors county's expanded basic-health program remains unavailable to many immigrants

Advocates and community groups told the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on March 11 that the county has not completed implementation of its expanded basic health care program, a change the board approved in April 2024 to extend coverage to immigrants who previously had been excluded.

Speakers representing a coalition of community organizations said the expansion has not yet produced clear application pathways, tracking data, or sufficient outreach. Deborah Ballinger of Unite Latino Voices said, "This means that our Latinx and other immigrant community members who do not qualify for Medi Cal or covered California are still unable to access medical care." Healthy Contra Costa and other coalition members said they have spent months producing recommendations and materials for the health department but continue to encounter barriers in the application process and lack of clarity about pending applications.

Anna (Health Access California) urged the county to "ensure that the county health department is welcoming to community members as they experience high levels of stress that impact their health and well-being." Diana Honegg (Multi Faith Action Coalition) said the county's April 9 decision to reverse a 2009 exclusion was "the right step," but added that the county has essentially "failed to launch this program" and pointed to Kaiser as an example of a health provider that moved quickly to set up a similar program and community feedback mechanisms.

Advocates requested that the board direct Contra Costa Health to accelerate implementation steps: address staffing and training needs, make application statuses transparent, partner with community-based organizations to reach residents, and promote the program to reduce fear and confusion. Several speakers said community groups are ready to help as trusted messengers but need formalized processes and clearer communication from the county.

Board members acknowledged the concerns and the testimony. Supervisors and staff previously told the board they intended the expansion to reduce avoidable emergency care and improve health outcomes, but advocates said lack of implementation undermines those goals and prolongs health risks among an already vulnerable population.

Speakers asked the board to insist on timelines and reporting back to the board about program roll-out and enrollment metrics so that community organizations and county officials can track progress and remove barriers to access.