State lawmakers were doing their thing, pushing their bills through committee hearings and asking people to come and share how their lives have been impacted by the issues on the table. One such person who left a mark was Christine Matlock Dougherty, who stood up for two health care bills connected to insurance coverage.
According to CalMatters’ Jocelyn Wiener, Dougherty’s son, Ryan Matlock, tragically passed away from a fentanyl overdose in 2021 after his insurance plan refused to keep covering his stay at an addiction treatment center. Heartbroken and determined, Dougherty, who is also suing her health plan, traveled over 400 miles from Yucaipa in San Bernardino County to Sacramento multiple times to speak out for two proposals that are all about making health insurance plans more responsible.
One of the bills is Assembly Bill 669, which would make it mandatory for health plans to review a patient’s eligibility to continue substance use treatment no sooner than 28 days after the provider first approved the treatment. In Ryan’s case, his health plan decided to pull the plug on his treatment just three days into his stay. The other bill, Senate Bill 363, would require health plans to cough up data on how many times they say no to treatment.
Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a game-changing law five years ago that mandated health insurance plans to cover all medically necessary mental health and addiction treatments, there are still big gaps in behavioral health coverage. The Legislature is looking at a bunch of bills to try and fix these issues, including the ones Dougherty is getting behind. She believes that fighting for these proposals is exactly what Ryan would have wanted her to do.
Dougherty shared, “It helps me find a reason why it was him.”
In other news, advocates are ringing the alarm bells over potential spending cuts in President Donald Trump’s federal budget plan that could make California’s housing and homelessness crises even worse. Trump wants to slash half of the funding for the Housing Choice Voucher program, also known as Section 8, and is proposing to limit how long a person can get help under the program to just two years. To save about $5 billion, Trump is looking to ax funds for local economic development grants, affordable housing projects, and initiatives that aim to speed up housing. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is also on the chopping block.
These cuts could be catastrophic for California, where millions rely on these programs for housing and homelessness services. Matt Schwartz, president of the nonprofit California Housing Partnership, warned that we could see “millions of people out on the street virtually overnight” if these cuts go through.
Now, if you’ve been slacking on the news front lately, don’t worry. CalMatters has got your back with radio updates. From dangerous drivers still cruising around to immigration raids and mental health crisis responses, we’ve got the scoop. So tune in and catch up!
And lastly, California is not taking Trump’s tariffs lying down. The state is suing to block health cuts that closed an SF office and is preparing for its first tourism decline in years. With so much happening, it’s clear that California’s biggest issues are as daunting as ever.
Alright, that’s a wrap for now. Stay tuned for more updates and remember, the struggle is real out there.
