California WIC Association

AB 2160 has been amended! In addition to improving clarity and guidance regarding coverage and billing for lactation services within Medi-Cal, the bill now requires Medi-Cal managed care plans to report the number of IBCLCs available in their provider networks. These changes will help improve transparency and lay the groundwork for future efforts to make sure that every family can access the lactation support they need.

Dear WIC Community,

This Father’s Day, we want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the many fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, partners, and father figures who play such an important role in the health and well-being of families across California.

Research consistently shows that engaged fathers help improve children's health, educational outcomes, emotional well-being, and overall family stability. In the WIC community, we see firsthand the positive impact that fathers and father figures have on helping families access nutritious foods, support breastfeeding goals, attend appointments, and create healthy environments where children can thrive.

At CWA, we are grateful for the fathers and father figures who support WIC families and strengthen our communities. We also recognize the dedicated WIC staff, healthcare providers, advocates, and community partners who work to ensure that all parents and caregivers have the resources they need to raise healthy children.

From all of us at the California WIC Association, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful and meaningful Father's Day.

At a time when food prices remain high, cutting the WIC fruit and vegetable benefit would move us in the wrong direction. Families need greater access to healthy foods, not less.

WIC's fruit and vegetable benefit is one of the program's most successful improvements. Families are using it, children are benefiting from it, and communities are healthier because of it. Protect the benefit.

Fruits and vegetables are essential for healthy growth and development. Cutting WIC's fruit and vegetable benefit would take nutritious foods away from pregnant people, babies, and young children across the country. Congress should strengthen WIC—not weaken it.

Action Needed: Support AB 2160 🚨

Letters of support for AB 2160 are now being accepted by the Senate Health Committee and are due ASAP. Links to template letters of support and instructions are here: https://calwic.org/breastfeeding-policy/support-ab-2160-strengthening-breastfeeding-support-for-california-families/

AB 2160 would improve access to lactation support for Medi-Cal families by requiring updated guidance for providers and plans regarding coverage of lactation services, and requiring DHCS to convene a stakeholder group for input on lactation services within Medi-Cal.

Thank you for helping advance equitable access to lactation services in California!

The WIC fruit and vegetable benefit helps families put healthy food on the table every month. Proposed Congressional cuts would reduce access to nutritious foods at a time when grocery costs remain high. Families deserve better.

Congress is proposing cuts to the WIC fruit and vegetable benefit—a change that would make it harder for families to afford the fresh fruits and vegetables they need to stay healthy. WIC helps support healthy pregnancies, infant development, and child nutrition. We must protect this critical benefit for millions of women, infants, and children.

House bill rolls back food aid for pregnant women, children Millions of WIC recipients would have less money for fruits and vegetables under the legislation, which funds the Agriculture Department and other agencies.