Laurel Lucia is deputy executive director of programs at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, where she has worked since 2009. She provides oversight for the Center’s programmatic work, including research, leadership development, and student programs.
In her previous role as director of the Health Care Program, Laurel’s research focused on health coverage and cost trends in California, and policies to improve access to and affordability of health care for California workers and their families. She served on consulting teams to Covered California, the California Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Social Services, and the Healthy California for All Commission. In 2021, she was appointed by Governor Newsom to serve on the California Long Term Care Insurance Task Force.
Previously, Laurel worked on issues affecting long term care workers during her time as a researcher/policy analyst for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). She has served as an elected officer for three unions.
Laurel received a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley.
We provide county-level projections of how many fewer Californians will be enrolled in full-scope Medi-Cal by 2028 as a result of policy changes in federal H.R.1 and the enacted 2025-26 state budget.
California’s historic expansion of coverage to undocumented individuals has not only brought the state closer to universal coverage, but has also reduced racial disparities in health coverage. However, this progress is at risk due to a new state budget proposal that would curtail Medi-Cal benefits for certain immigrants, ahead of additional severe federal cuts to Medicaid being considered.
This page provides data on California health care employment by county and congressional district, including by sector and as a percentage of total employment, using estimates from IMPLAN input-output economic modeling software.
Republicans are considering major cuts to Medicaid to offset tax cuts. Depending on the specific mechanisms and timing for cutting Medicaid, California could expect to see between $10 billion and $20 billion fewer federal dollars per year coming to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. These federal cuts would lead to significant job loss in health care and other sectors.
The onerous documentation needed with Medi-Cal work requirements would increase administrative costs and reduce enrollment and access to care, including for people who are already working or otherwise should be exempt.
“There is already a problem with sufficient staffing, and will that get worse if workers don’t have the wages and benefits they need to provide for their families?” Lucia wondered.
“As of this moment, all low-income Californians are eligible for Medi-Cal coverage, including undocumented Californians. But, unfortunately, we’re on the verge of seeing that progress rolled backward due to a combination of federal and state policies,” Laurel Lucia of the UC Berkeley Labor Center stated.
“There is research from other health care sectors that’s shown that adequate wages are an important component of retaining health care workers,” Lucia said. “And kind of relatedly, there is research showing the importance of adequate and consistent staffing to patients having good quality of care.”
“Having health insurance improves people’s ability to gain and maintain employment. And when providers have more insured patients, they’re better able to predict their revenues and have financial stability. This benefits all of us.”–Laurel Lucia
Laurel Lucia said the “red tape” created by the Republican megabill may make it more difficult for individuals to enroll and stay enrolled in Medi-Cal. “The people who are likely to lose coverage may still be eligible for Medi-Cal, but lose their insurance due to the paperwork burden,” Lucia said.
“This bill proposes the biggest cuts to Medicaid in the 60 year history of this program,” said Laurel Lucia. “Not only will Medi-Cal enrollees in San Francisco have to worry about their coverage, but hospitals, clinics and other health care providers could see cuts as a result of this bill.”
San Francisco may be among the “best equipped” parts of the state to respond to these cuts because of some of the programs it already has in place, said Laurel Lucia, director of the Health Care Program at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.
Medi-Cal is a critical component of one of the biggest sectors of Southern California’s economy: health care. An estimated 1.25 million residents of the four counties work in some area of health care, and more than 110,000 work in nursing homes or assisted living centers, according to an April report from economists at the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
According to the policy brief, released April 28, the federal cuts would not only threaten health care access for 15 million Californians currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, but would also lead to the loss of health care jobs and other jobs in the state, putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
“When people have Medicaid coverage, they’re more likely to use primary and preventive care and less likely to use emergency room services,” Laurel Lucia said. “That’s a better use of health care dollars and it’s better for people’s health.”
