By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media 

Over 36,000 Black Californians maintained coverage with a health insurance provider through the 14-month Medi-Cal to Covered California redetermination process led by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and Covered California

This number does not include Californians who have employer or private insurance or those who have been enrolled in Medi-Cal or Covered California and have met all the eligibility requirements for both programs.

In total, more than 158,000 Californians retained their health coverage through the statewide redetermination initiative, which began in April 2023 and ran until June of this year, according to DHCS.

Covered California Chief Medical Officer and Chief Deputy Executive Director Dr. S. Monica Soni said the availability of affordable health coverage can help prevent negative medical outcomes in the Golden State’s Black communities. That coverage includes Medi-Cal, California’s version of the Medicaid program — which offers free or low-cost health care access to low-income people across the nation — or one of the affordable health plans offered through Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange

“We know primary care is one of the ways to have good health and wellness — from behavioral health to physical health to instances where someone has a substance abuse disorder,” said Soni, also a primary care doctor and the first Black Chief Medical Officer at Covered California.

“Our communities are some of the most incredible community-oriented, health-seeking ambitious folks,” Soni continued. “We have a lot of assets in our communities, but it is true we have higher rates of death for many cancers. We have more obesity. We have really higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure as well.”

The redetermination project kicked off when Medi-Cal resumed its renewal process to establish eligibility for over 15 million of its members following the end of the federal continuous coverage requirement put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Covered California automatically enrolled individuals in one of its low-cost health plans with insurers such as Aetna Health, Anthem Blue Cross of California, Health Net, Molina Health Plan, or Valley Health Plan if they lost Medi-Cal coverage and qualified for Covered California.

According to a survey conducted last fall on behalf of Covered California by NORC and Slosar Research, 82% of people in the Medi-Cal renewal processes were covered through employer- insurance; were already enrolled with Covered California, or returned to Medi-Cal.

Soni stated that the main obstacle that prevents people without health insurance from selecting a plan through Covered California is a belief the price will be out of their budget.

“Sometimes people are worried about the cost,” she explained. “We have zero-dollar and $10-a-month plans, depending on household income. Regardless of what health plan you choose all of your primary care costs are the same. We believe you should be able to shop for the health plan you want.”

Covered California’s open enrollment period runs from November of this year to January 2025. Soni said Covered California will have record levels of support and affordability during the upcoming year.

“Incredible support we are getting from the state and federal government makes us able to do that,” she said.

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Aug .29, the California Assembly voted to pass a bill that would require social media platforms to respond to reports of cyberbullying by either removing the content in question or explaining why it is aligned with their platform’s policies,

The bill passed on the Assembly floor with a 71-0 vote.

Titled Cyberbullying Reporting and Accountability, SB 1504,authored by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Calabasas), advanced to Gov. Gavin Newsom desk for his signature or veto.

“Cyberbullying is a deadly and growing crisis.  Social media companies must do their part to respond to cyberbullying threats, like the fight pages that led up to Shaylee Mejia’s death,” Stern said in a statement to California Black Media.

Mejia, 16, died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to a Los Angeles County medical examiner who ruled her death an accident, citing that she fell down a flight of stairs. The family believes her death was caused by a fight at school that was captured on video.

SB 1504 is designed to have social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and others “respond compassionately and predictably” to reports of cyberbullying, Stern said in April.

According to the California Department of Justice (DOJ), Black and Hispanic teens are more likely than their White counterparts to be targets of cyberbullying. In addition, ​​Black teens are about twice as likely as Hispanic or White teens to express that their race or ethnicity made them a target of online mistreatment, according to a 2002 survey by the Pew Research Center.

If signed into law, SB 1504 will not require the Attorney General on behalf of all Californians to bring enforcement actions. Instead, it allows any person who reports cyberbullying and does not receive a timely response to enforce their own rights.

“Schools, students’ and parents’ complaints about cyberbullying often fall on deaf ears with the social media giants. This bill takes the power back,” Stern stated.

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By: Bo Tefu, California Black Media

A bill Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) authored addressing sex trafficking and aiming to increase penalties for those who purchase children for sex made it out of the Assembly with a 73-0 vote one day before the final day of the Legislative session.

Senate Bill (SB) 1414, titled “Crimes: Solicitation of a minor,” would apply to defendants who are 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense. Senators Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) are co-authors of the bill.

“By increasing penalties for those who solicit or purchase children for sex, we are sending a clear message: California’s children are no longer for sale,” Grove stated. “While I am disappointed in the forced amendments that excluded some minors, I am pleased with this step forward. We know there is still work to be done and I will continue to fight to protect all children.”

According to SB 1414’s language, if the person solicited for sex was under 16 years of age, or if the person solicited was under 18 years of age at the time of the offense and the person solicited was a victim of human trafficking, the offense would be punishable as a “wobbler,” meaning prosecutors can either charge the suspect with a misdemeanor or a felony.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign the bill into law or veto it.

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