The ballot measure is an opportunity to “invest in providers in a way that would allow folks to expand the patient population” they serve, and for providers already assisting Medi-Cal patients to “expand the services they provide,” said Jodi Hicks, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.

It’s important that “the system as a whole is funded so that patients can get the care they need,” Hicks said. For instance, she said, if a Medi-Cal patient can get a mammogram at a clinic, specialty care also needs to be available if that mammogram shows something is wrong.

California has made strides in expanding who is eligible for Medi-Cal and what services are covered, “but we need to guarantee for folks that if they are on the program, they are able to access those services.”