Universal Community Health warns Prop 44 would cost its clinic $3 million in first year
Founder Edgar Chavez says the ballot measure’s penalty structure would force service cuts and potentially close doors for clinics serving seven million Californians.
By Lauren Bello ·
Universal Community Health Center in Los Angeles would lose $3 million in its first year of operation if Proposition 44 passes, according to its founder. Edgar Chavez, the clinic’s Chief Medical Officer, stated that the measure’s penalty structure would strip $1.7 billion from community health clinics statewide in the first year alone. He said those financial hits would continue for billions of dollars in subsequent years.
Chavez founded the clinic twenty years ago to address a lack of access to regular medical care. He described a community where children missed school, parents missed work, and patients relied on emergency rooms because they could not afford preventive visits. The clinic is part of a network that serves nearly 7 million patients across California.
The proposed ballot measure would penalize clinics for providing basic services that do not fit specific definitions in the text. Chavez cited healthcare enrollment navigators, translators, and telemedicine as examples of essential functions that would face financial penalties. He argued that these roles help patients understand insurance options, receive culturally competent care, and manage minor illnesses at home.
Administrative staff roles would also be at risk under the measure’s rules. Appointment coordinators, human resources personnel, janitorial staff, and recruitment teams are listed as functions that could trigger penalties. Chavez said a clinic cannot stay open without these basic operational roles.
The measure would grant the state Attorney General the authority to decide what qualifies as patient care. Chavez, a family medicine physician, expressed concern about giving a statewide elected official with no healthcare expertise that decision-making power. He said he hoped voters had learned to avoid placing politicians between a patient and their care team.
Chavez noted that community clinics are already heavily regulated by federal and state governments. He pointed to mandatory spending requirements, public audits, and reporting standards as existing oversight mechanisms. He also stated that all community clinics are not-for-profit organizations led by boards that include patients. These boards require funds to be spent on patient care and community benefits.
If a clinic closes due to these penalties, the patients do not disappear. Chavez said those individuals would end up in emergency rooms sicker than necessary. The bills for emergency care are far more expensive than the preventive visits that could have caught problems early. This shift would strain the broader healthcare system, including emergency room waiting rooms and the state budget.
Chavez is asking voters to join a coalition of patients, doctors, nurses, teachers, and community clinics in voting no on Proposition 44. He framed the vote as a protection for patients who rely on regular access to blood pressure checks, insulin monitoring, mammograms, and dental cleanings.
