What It’s Like On the Front Line as Health Care Cuts Start to Hit

Pattie Lopez, a community health insurance manager, at a Venice Family Clinic location in Santa Monica. Photos by Zaydee Sanchez.

For 23 years, Pattie Lopez has helped patients qualify for public health coverage at Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles.

But in the last six months, her meetings with clients have become increasingly discouraging. She has been fielding an outpouring of questions and fears as they navigate a dizzying array of cuts and eligibility changes to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid health insurance program for low-income residents, and Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange.