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Hands Off Kids’ Health Coalition Rallies at Capitol, Delivers Over 6,000 Petitions Asking Governor to Protect Health Care Access

  • Feb 25
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 27

$144 Million Proposed Cut to Children’s Medi-Cal Dental Care Would Reduce Health Care Access for Low-Income Children

Sacramento, Calif. — Dentists, families, and farmworker advocates rallied today on the west steps of the State Capitol, urging lawmakers to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed cut to publicly funded dental care for low-income children. 

Following the rally, which occurred during National Children’s Dental Health Month, coalition members marched alongside “Carrie the Tooth Fairy” — a giant tooth — to deliver more than 6,000 petitions to the governor’s office from families across California demanding the Newsom Administration take its “Hands Off Kids’ Health.” The coalition is calling on state lawmakers to reject this cut to Medi-Cal Dental and preserve health care access for children. 

“Budgets reflect values. If protecting health care access for California’s most vulnerable children is truly a priority, then lawmakers should preserve funding for Medi-Cal Dental,” said Dr. George Mayweather, an orthodontist who has practiced in the Sacramento region for more than three decades.

In his state budget proposal last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed eliminating $362 million from Medi-Cal Dental, including $144 million that supports dental services for low-income children. The proposal would also result in the loss of approximately $180 million in federal matching funds.

Although the child dental program accounts for just 0.041% of the state’s $350 billion budget, it plays a crucial role in keeping children healthy, in school, and out of costly hospital emergency rooms, where untreated dental problems drive far higher long-term costs and long wait times. 

California already ranks among the worst states for pediatric dental disease, and oral health problems are also one of the leading causes of missed school days. In 2022, more than 351,000 California children missed at least one day of school because of dental issues — totaling nearly 900,000 lost school days, according to figures from the California Department of Public Health. 

“When children walk into school holding their cheeks in pain, they can’t focus, and they fall behind,” said Estella Kessler, trustee for the Selma Unified School District. “Dental pain disrupts learning. We cannot allow preventable dental problems to stand in the way of a child’s education.”

Providers warned that cuts would further strain an already fragile system. Only 47.6% of children enrolled in Medi-Cal used their dental benefits in 2022, reflecting ongoing provider shortages in many regions.

“The children we serve are often the most medically vulnerable and in the most pain. Without anesthesia services, many of them simply don’t get dental care at all. If the Medi-Cal Dental reimbursement is cut, providers will leave underserved areas like the Central Valley, and these kids will lose access,” said Dr. Richard Katz, CEO of Bay Area Mobile Anesthesia. “We’ve made real progress expanding care. Now is not the time to roll it back.” 

Advocates for farmworker families emphasized the burden on parents who work in California’s fields. 

“Farmworkers feed California, yet too many of their children struggle to access basic dental care,” said Esther Flores of the California Farmworker Foundation. “Taking time off for an appointment can mean losing wages. Medi-Cal Dental helps ensure their children don’t live with preventable pain simply because their parents work in the fields.”

Families shared firsthand stories about how the program has helped their children receive timely care that is close to where they live.

“If we didn’t have Medi-Cal Dental, my daughter would have had to wait months until I could afford treatment,” said Stockton mother Erica Mendoza, who spoke alongside her 11-year-old daughter, Jasmine. “This program makes a real difference for families like mine.”


 
 
 

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