Why billionaires should help California families facing health care cuts

By Josephine Rios, especially for CalMatters

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The doctors told us that my grandson would not live more than three months, but they did not know that Elijah was capable of this. Today he is 7 years old, stubborn as ever and every day he fights to prove them wrong.

Ilia was born with cerebral palsy. Caring for him is a full-time operation that includes home care nurses, physical and occupational therapy, support at school and a small pharmacy’s worth of medication.

None of these cares are mandatory. It’s what keeps him alive, learning, laughing and giving me attitude.

This is only possible thanks to Medi-Cal. Now California’s health care system—the system that keeps Elijah alive—is pushed to the brink. At $100 billion a year federal health care cuts are increasing Americans, it’s California it is expected to lose about $30 billion a year in Medi-Cal funding.

Families like mine live in a state of panic. Elijah’s medication alone will cost over $5,000 a month. It’s not a “hard choice” for a working family—it’s impossible.

And the emergency rooms we rely on when his seizures occur? They may not even be open.

This is not a hypothetical threat. This is my reality. This is the reality of millions of Californians who depend on the care we were promised.

This disaster is preventable. There is a simple, fair and no-nonsense solution on the table, Billionaire Tax Act of 2026. I’m one of thousands of Californians fighting for itwith the campaign gathering signatures to place the proposition on the ballot this year.

As a nurse’s aide, a union member and a grandmother struggling to keep a child with special needs healthy, I have no time for political games. I’m interested in what works and this will work.

The measure would create a one-time, 5% emergency tax of Californians worth over $1 billion. That’s roughly 200 people who together own over $2 trillion in wealth. The tax will be spread over a period of five years.

And because of tax loopholes, most of that money may not be taxed at all.

This proposal would raise $100 billion for California. It will keep hospitals open, protect Medi-Cal, prevent health care worker layoffs, and keep the 3.4 million at-risk Californians insured.

In other words, it will save my grandson’s life and many others.

As for the billionaires, they honestly wouldn’t even feel it.

I have heard some people say that this tax “punishes success”. give me a break Working families are already paying our share. We pay it every time we choose which bills to pay. We work double shifts every time. Every time we sit in the emergency room praying that the lights stay on long enough for our children to breathe.

All we want is for the small group that benefits the most from California’s economy to step in at once to prevent a total health care collapse. This is not a punishment. It’s a responsibility.

Voters across the political spectrum support this. When your child or parent is sick, politics matter far less than their survival.

The super-rich and their lobbyists are already gearing up to fight this effort. They always do. They are loud, powerful and used to getting their way.

But I have news for them: I am too. I had to fight for Elijah from the day he was born. I have fought for my patients, my colleagues and my community for decades. I know how to stand my ground and I know I’m not alone.

California is on the brink. We can either let the health care system fall or we can come together and get it back.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.