Update, Nov. 12: In a historic victory for California’s health care system, voters have approved Prop. 35 with 66% of the vote.
Oct. 9: California voters should expect to receive their General Election ballots in the mail the week of Oct. 7, and CDA President Carliza Marcos, DDS, encourages dentists across the state to vote yes on Proposition 35. The measure will appear on the November ballot and is co-sponsored by CDA with the support of a broad coalition of doctors, health care workers and community health centers.
“I want to remind you of what Prop 35 means to our members, our patients and the state’s dental care system,” Dr. Marcos says in a video CDA released Oct. 8.
Marcos calls Proposition 35 “the next important step” to ensuring more communities have access to the dental providers and services they need, noting that in California, fewer than half of the children enrolled in Medi-Cal and just one quarter of adults on Medi-Cal visited the dental office in 2023. Meanwhile, reimbursements remain too low for many dental services.
“[Prop 35] will secure new funding to increase dental reimbursement rates, dental student loan repayments and workforce development programs,” she said. “It does this without raising taxes — and it will prevent the state from redirecting these funds for other purposes.”
Specifically, the passage of Prop 35 would increase the Medi-Cal Dental budget by at least 10% (approximately $300 million annually) to improve reimbursement rates, increase funding for health care workforce development and secure up to $10 million annually for dental student loan repayments through the CalHealthCares program, which has awarded over $48 million in loan repayments to 187 dentists or dental students since the program launched in 2018-19. Prop 35 will also reduce emergency response times by funding first responders and paramedics.
Hear Dr. Marcos’s message for California dentists, or go directly to the Yes on Prop 35 coalition website for a fact sheet, ways to share your support with friends and colleagues, a full list of coalition members, a link to the initiative and more.