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Medi-Cal Cuts May Leave Millions Of Patients Without Health Care

LOS ANGELES (CBS) —A statewide reduction in Medi-Cal payments may soon leave millions of Californians without adequate health care.

KNX 1070's Jan Stevens reports a 10 percent cut is likely to add even more hurdles for participants in the taxpayer-funded program.

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Dr. David Barron of Primary Caring of Malibu says extensive paperwork and low reimbursement totals already make it difficult to provide care to Medi-Cal patients.

"It's really unfortunate because if they cut it even more, maybe some of these institutions will have to say, 'We simply can't function like this anymore," said Barron.

Hospitals who depend solely on Medi-Cal for funding could soon face severe cash shortages.

"Whether it's state or federal or county," said Barron. "But the Medi-Cal itself is just fatally flawed, there's simply not enough money to take care of the people that it's providing for.

An estimated 7.5 million poor and disabled Californians are currently covered by the program.

California spends $14 billion on Medi-Cal, which is the state's Medicaid program. The cuts are expected to save the state more than $620 million.

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