Setting priority for new leadership

Nearly 37,000 people in Chula Vista are age 65 and older, according to the most recent census estimates.

In National City the total is closer to 9,000.

In all, and roughly, that is 46,000 older friends, neighbors and relatives who are eligible for Medicare coverage made available through money they paid via taxes.

Also eligible for the healthcare benefits are the disabled and people with end-stage renal failure.

Eligibility does not mean enrollment and while estimates vary on how many people are actually enrolled in the Medicare program, even if it is a small fraction the number of people reliant on aid is significant—especially if it is you or a loved one.

Medicaid, the other component of healthcare coverage paid for in part by federal tax dollars, is open to a broader segment of the population.

In addition to seniors, low-income workers, the disabled and children are eligible for the assistance.

In California federal Medicaid funding is administered through California’s Medi-Cal program.

Add to the number of Chula Vista and National City seniors who need healthcare coverage the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of minimum-wage earners and low-income workers that also need affordable healthcare and you have a significant portion of the population that rely on government programs to receive basic healthcare.

Now factor in those who rely on Covered California (Obamacare), which also relies on federal funds to provide health coverage to people whose employers don’t.

Add in the men, women and children who rely on the U.S. government’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits—administered in California as CalFresh.

What you end up with is a whole lot of people in our neighborhoods who need help affording healthcare and buying food. And since 2025, the Republican led Congress has cut funding to those programs, with more significant cuts scheduled for next year.

Democrats are now in charge of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A top priority for the new Congress in 2027 must be finding a way to help Chula Vista and National City residents buy food and see the doctor.