Beverly Press Park Labrea News: Friedman offers assistance with Medi-Cal

U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) held a press conference at the Saban Community Clinic on Beverly Boulevard on May 28, announcing a new service for 30th District constituents to help access Medi-Cal and Medicaid benefits. A special case worker will be tasked with the sole responsibility of handling assistance in obtaining coverage, which can often be saddled with hurdles and paperwork.

“I’m proud that our office is delivering fast local help and standing up to those in Washington who are looking to tear it away,” Friedman said.

The announcement comes after Congress passed its new budget, dubbed by President Donald Trump as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Every House Democrat voted against the bill, which faces a tough road in the Senate. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ron Johnson (R-Minn.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have all expressed concern or opposition to the bill. In it, extensive cuts to Medicaid are among the points of consternation. Democrats have also been vocal about expanded tax cuts for high-income earners.

At the press conference, several individuals who benefit from the Saban Community Clinic’s services expressed fears that Medicaid cuts would ultimately ax the medical coverage on which they rely. Ingrid Palmer is a longtime patient who eventually became a Saban board member.

“It was at a colon hydrotherapist appointment, when my hydrotherapist said, ‘Hey, I don’t think something’s right. Have you gotten that checked out?’ And unfortunately, my answer to her was, ‘No, I don’t have any health care.’ And her answer to me was, ‘try Saban.’ And it’s with Saban and the care provided by places like Saban that I got the support that I needed,” Palmer said. “We know that care is on the chopping block, or could be on the chopping block, and it’s a right, not a privilege, so we want to keep it alive … These cuts aren’t just bad policy, they’re dangerous, and they will hit our most vulnerable neighbors the hardest.”

Patient Larissa Merriman lost her husband several years ago to a rare disease. When he died, she also lost his health insurance. When she joined Covered California, and received a subsidy, none of her previous providers took her new insurance. The plan switched her primary care doctor to the Saban community clinic.

“After my first appointment, I felt relief,” Merriman said. “I might not have had stellar coverage, but I still received stellar health care. In fact, it was better than what I was getting just a few blocks west of here.”

Merriman noted “72 million Americans rely on Medicaid,” and that the bill could result in millions losing their coverage.

“It is cruelty for cruelty’s sake, and it harms the health of our country,” she concluded.

“These cuts to the Medicaid program are going to hurt us,” Saban Community Clinic CEO Muriel Nouwezem said. “[They] are going to be devastating to our community, and California right now is being forced to make difficult, painful decisions to keep the program afloat at Saban. 10% cuts to the Medicaid program translate into more than $3 million in lost revenue.”

Nouwezem said that the clinic not only provides medical care, but numerous additional services including dental care, behavioral health management, showers for the unhoused population, transportation services, care coordination services and psychiatry services.

“At Saban our mission is clear … provide outstanding compassionate care to anyone who needs us, regardless of immigration status, regardless of documentation status, regardless of insurance coverage. If you come to us, we’re here to serve you, and we’ll do so with compassion and care to sustain that promise,” Nouwezem said. “We need action. So, we are asking everyone please … call your representative. Call your elected official. Make sure they hear your voice.”

Friedman did not mince words when emphasizing her own opposition to the “Big Beautiful Bill,” including noting that it could shut down medical programs such as Planned Parenthood and severely handicap Medicaid and programs funded through the Affordable Care Act.

“The money that we spend now on medical [services] are common sense investments in our community to keep people safer and to keep them out of the hospital,” Friedman said. “You take that away and you just jam up your hospitals and jam up your emergency rooms.”

To contact Friedman’s office in regards to Medi-Cal and Medicaid, visit friedman.us.gov.