Prop. 35 is supported by the Protecting Access to Health Care Coalition, which includes a variety of health care organizations, including the California Hospital Association, the California Medical Association, Planned Parenthood Federation of California, labor unions, first responders and community health centers. It is supported by both the California Democratic Party and the California Republican Party.

The ballot measure is an opportunity to “invest in providers so they can expand their patient base” and for providers who already serve Medicare patients, it's an opportunity to “expand the services they offer,” said Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of California.

“It's important that the whole system is funded so that patients can get the care they need,” Hicks said. For example, if Medicare patients can get a mammogram at a clinic, they should also be able to get specialty care if that mammogram shows an abnormality, she said.

California has been working to expand who is covered by Medicare and what services it covers, but “we need to ensure that people who are in the program can get those services,” the state said.