Do you know what it’s like to grow up in a family that wasn’t able to afford health insurance? To become an adult with a successful and fulfilling job and still not be able to afford insurance for yourself or your own children? It’s traumatic. You live in fear of a broken bone, a sprained ankle or a serious illness. It weighs on you, which creates stress, which can lead to more health issues. You’re caught in a vicious cycle.
That’s why the state’s proposal to eliminate the health benefits CCPU fought so hard to win is particularly offensive. As a child care provider, I’ve spent my career supporting, educating and loving every child that’s walked through my doors. But at the same time, I was caught in a bind, making too much money to qualify for insurance assistance programs, but not enough to afford buying it on my own. And so I was stuck. For 18 years I lived constantly on edge, worried the cost of a surprise visit to the emergency room would result in financial ruin.
I remember spending hours looking up free clinics that would provide my kids with the necessary screenings and check-ups that all children need. I’d get everyone up and out of the house at the crack of dawn to make sure we were first in line, only to be met with 40 to 50 other parents who had the same idea and managed to get there just a bit before me. Sometimes we got lucky and were able to receive the treatment we’d hoped for. Sometimes the spots were already filled, and we walked away without care, filled with even more worry. I did this for 18 years.
So you can understand the relief and excitement when I learned I’d be able to get health care through CCPU. It was too late for my kids, they’ve grown up and are on their own. But it was just in time for me. I had insurance when I had a breast cancer scare. I felt confident I could afford any treatment I might need. For once, I could focus on my health and not on whether getting better was going to bankrupt me. For once, I felt like I could breathe.
And now the state wants to take that away. They want to take it away at the same time Medi-Cal is under attack by the Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration. They want to take it away even though 20 percent of providers were uninsured prior to the creation of our healthcare fund. They want to take it away even after the progress we’ve made in getting hundreds of providers coverage and thousands more affordable health care they actually use. I can not go back to worrying that every ailment, whether big or small, can snowball into a medical bill I can’t handle. I’ve worked too hard and come too far to go back now. If my story resonates with you, I encourage you to reach out to our negotiation team members and share your own experience. We won’t let the state take us backwards. We will continue to fight for the benefits we deserve, and we will win.
Yolanda Thomas
Child Care Provider in Contra Costa County
Member of CCPU’s 2025/25 Bargaining Team
