Robert Lee Ahn Campaign Slams Jimmy Gomez for "Bait and Switch" on Medi-Cal Support From Prop. 56 Tobacco Tax

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - May 22, 2017) - Calling it another example of "bait and switch" politics in Sacramento, the Robert Lee Ahn for Congress campaign slammed Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez for not opposing Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to not fund increased reimbursement rates for doctors seeing Medi-Cal patients; potentially slashing low-income access to healthcare.

"It's typical of Sacramento politicians promising support for a popular ballot initiative only to renege on those promises and potentially hurt the people most in need of affordable healthcare," Ahn said. "Sacramento already cut Medi-Cal provider rates by 10% and now these promised funds are not going to the doctors needing them."

Prop. 56, passed by California voters last November, raised the cigarette tax by $2-per-pack with $710 million to $1 billion going to support Medi-Cal, which provides health services to the needy such as hospital inpatient and outpatient care, skilled nursing care, prescription drugs, dental care, and doctor visits.

"Jimmy Gomez signed on to support Prop. 56 and now that Gov. Brown is proposing to renege on the promise of supporting doctors, he has not uttered one complaint. Is this the kind of 'no-show' leadership voters need and deserve?" Ahn added. "Voters of the 34^th district need a representative that will say the right things, then not stand up for them. They can't afford that kind of politics as usual in Sacramento or Washington."

There are 14 million Californians on Medi-Cal, with 183,000 of them undocumented immigrant children. Obamacare added 3.9 million people so demand for doctors and dentists is huge, but with an average reimbursement rate for Medi-Cal patients only a third of Medicare patients, more doctors opt out of seeing Medi-Cal patients forcing them to seek treatment in overcrowded emergency rooms. This is especially burdensome on immigrants such as Latinos and Asians.

The 34th District represents all of Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Little Bangladesh, as well as parts of Historic Filipinotown, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Downtown, Eagle Rock, Boyle Heights, City Terrace, Echo Park, El Sereno, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Lincoln Heights, Mt. Washington, Montecito Heights, and Westlake/Pico Union. For more information, go to www.AhnforCongress.com. The general election is June 6^th.