More than 200,000 sign petitions against Calif. Medicaid cuts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. More than 200,000 California residents have signed petitions urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state legislature to rescind the 10 percent cuts to the state’s Medicaid program, according to a California Pharmacists Association statement made Tuesday.

The cuts to Medi-Cal, as the program is called, went into effect July 1. The association said they have already created hardships for pharmacists and patients.

“Our fears regarding these Medi-Cal provider cuts are coming true,” association CEO Lynn Rolston said. “Pharmacists have been forced to make the incredibly difficult decisions to turn away patients.”

As of Tuesday, 224,281 had signed the petitions.