Here's what you need to know to decide how to vote on California's Proposition 52.

ICYMI: the 2016 election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, with early voting kicking off at San Francisco’s City Hall on Tuesday, October 11.

In addition to voting for officials at the local, state, and national level, San Franciscans will face a decision on 17 state ballot initiatives and 25 local propositions.

Not sure how to vote on Proposition 52? We hope the brief voter guide below will help you decide!

<<Back to CA 2016 Propositions

What Is Prop 52?

The existing law that assesses fees on private hospitals in order to fund Medi-Cal, care for uninsured patients, and children’s health coverage is set to expire on January 1, 2018.

Prop 52 would extend the law indefinitely and change voting regulations to require two-thirds approval from the state legislature in order to amend it in the future.

Who Supports Prop 52?

Key supporters of Prop 52 include: the California Hospital Association and California Democratic Party.

Supporters argue that Proposition 52 would “keep a good thing going” by continuing the Medi-Cal hospital fee program.

Proponents also contend that the ballot measure would bring $3 billion to the state in federal matching funds at no cost to the taxpayers.

Who Opposes Prop 52?

Key opponents of Prop 52 include: the Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), and Californians for Hospital Accountability and Quality Care.

Opponents argue that the proposition does not guarantee that federal matching funds are actually spent on health care and resources could be taken from patients and communities and instead used to benefit special interests (e.g. hospital CEOs, corporations, and lobbyists).

Learn More about Prop 52

To learn more, read the full text of Proposition 52.

<<Back to CA 2016 Propositions

Feature image credit