Federal health officials reject Gov. Jerry Brown’s

budget cut to Medi-Cal patients

San Diego activist Raul Carranza is one Medi-Cal patient. Last month, he and a group of Occupy San Diego supporters held a rally to raise awareness for the cuts.

In a speech at the rally, he said because of the Medi-Cal cuts, he was forced to drop out of school at UCLA to pay for the 24-hour per day care his Muscular Dystrophy requires.

Monday’s letter was a small victory for him and patients like him, he said. However, he would like to see some of the funding restored.

“There’s still a long way to go,” Carranza said. “I’m happy that Obama did that, but it’s just the first step on a very long journey.”

Source: State Medi-Cal Patients Won’t be Charged: Obama | NBC San Diego

STOP “DANGEROUS” BUDGET CUTS THREATENING DISABLED PATIENTS, DISABLED SAN DIEGO MAN IMPLORES: RALLY SET FOR FRIDAY

By Miriam Raftery

January 25, 2012 (San Diego) – Raul Carranza has Muscular Dystrophy. He cannot walk, move his arms, eat or even breathe on his own. He requires round-the-clock nursing care—care denied after Medi-Cal slashed his nursing hours due to state budget cuts.

“Last year I moved away to UCLA by myself and lived away from my family for a whole semester,” he said. “Unfortunately I had to come back home to San Diego at the end of December.” That’s because the state cut his nursing hours, leaving him unable to survive on his own.

Now Carranza is asking for help to draw attention to how budget cuts are hurting disabled Californians. “Please join us so we can stop these cuts and save not only my life,” he says, “but thousands of others”….[Read Article]

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2012                         

Press Release

Dangerous Budget Cuts Threaten Disabled Patient Lives and Public Sector Jobs 

Justice For Raul Rally! Stop the Budget Cuts!

Friday, January 27th, 12 p.m., 1350 Front St., Downtown State House

Over the course of the last three years the state of California has approved approximately $15 billion in cuts to health care and social services, harming the lives of those who cannot afford to care for themselves. These cuts have created a tremendous hardship for California’s seniors, low-income families, children and people with disabilities and have cost the state thousands of jobs because of cuts from In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Medi-Cal.

Raul Carranza is one of these patients. Raul has Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disease that prevents him from being able to walk, move his arms, or eat and breathe on his own.  Because of this he requires around the clock nursing care. Care that he is being denied after Medi-Cal cut his nursing hours. The dangerous consequences of these cuts will be that many patients are forced from their homes with loved ones and into inhumane and understaffed state institutions and hospitals.

“Please join us so we can stop these cuts and save not only my life, but thousands of others.”

Raul will be joined by patients, public sector workers and community members in front of the State house at noon Friday, January 27^th to call attention to the dangerous budget cuts threatening the lives of disabled patients and the people who care for them. Hear from patients, caretakers and labor organizers to find out what we, as a community, can do to help. This will be followed by a march to Broadway that will be led by patients with disabilities.

“One Voice can bring attention and change to millions.”

For Additional Information About Budget Cuts And Raul’s Story Visit: www.raulcarranza.org      To Schedule an Interview Contact:  Raul Carranza (619)392-9797 raulecarranza@gmail.com   For any other questions contact: Sarah Saez (774)392-0377 sarah@utwsd.org

This event has been endorsed by the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor-Council.

# # #

My name is Raul Carranza. And I am the 99%. 

Published in In Motion Magazine – December 12, 2011

The following speech was delivered by Raul Carranza at a joint Occupy San Diego/Labor rally in front of the Social Security Administration building in San Diego on Human Rights Day, Saturday, December 10, 2011. He spoke with the aid of a laptop computer. After the rally, there was a march around downtown back to Freedom Plaza….[Read Article]

Joven lucha por cuidados médicos

KBNT News
December 30, 2011. 06:00 PM

San Diego. Un muchacho con una enfermedad degenerativa busca que el estado le renueve el derecho al servicio médico de Medi-Cal.

Raúl Carranza un joven de 22 años de edad que padece de distrofia muscular pero que no se da por vencido para conseguir los cuidados médicos que necesita para seguir adelante con su vida….[Watch Video]