Around 80 people participated in a symbolic “die-in” in East Oakland recently to protest federal funding cuts to health care.
Hundreds gathered for the demonstration this past Thursday, which was led by a coalition of health care workers and activist organizations who called for a billionaire tax on the November 2026 statewide ballot to fund the state’s health care sector.
The funding cuts as laid out in H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” could result in a loss of Medi-Cal coverage for around 2 million Californians, increased health premiums, and financial pressure on health care centers across the state, according to a report filed earlier this month by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office.
The demonstrators said that these cuts would result in devastating outcomes for Californians who depend on the state for health care.
They also voiced their support for the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, a proposed one-time tax on California’s billionaires, to help backfill the funding dollars cut from health care and food assistance.
The coalition that organized the demonstration included the health workers’ union SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, social justice organization Indivisible East Bay, the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, and other community groups advocating for health care in the Bay Area.
Mock gravesites and tombstones
The demonstration took place outside East Oakland’s Eastmont Town Center, which is located next to the Alameda County Social Services Agency building.
The die-in saw participants lying down on the ground to signify the deaths that the funding cuts will cause.
Each mock gravesite had a tombstone-shaped sign at its head, indicating the different health care services that the funding cuts will impact, like mental health support, emergency care access, insurance subsidies, and so on.
“You shouldn’t have to be super wealthy to have basic health care. That’s like paying someone to have a right to life.”
Fay Eastman, SEIU member
David Tobis, an activist with the Oakland-based community group Grand Lake Vigil, was one of the main organizers behind the die-in.
“We’re hoping that this is just going to be a pilot project,” he said, “and then have it (die-ins) all across the state, and then all across the country to show Trump he can’t get away with a trillion dollars of cuts.”
Fay Eastman, a patient care technician with Kaiser and a member of the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, said that hospitals are already cutting staff as they brace for the financial fallout from the funding cuts.
While Medi-Cal beneficiaries will be the worst-hit by the funding cuts, she said that even private insurance customers will be impacted by staffing cuts, as there won’t be enough trained personnel to treat them when they seek care.
Without insurance, she said, people might delay treatment and only seek help at the last minute, often through emergency rooms, which will be put under tremendous strain.
“You shouldn’t have to be super wealthy to have basic health care,” Eastman said. “That’s like paying someone to have a right to life.”
Billionaire tax nears ballot
To cover the resultant deficit in the state’s health system, the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West collected signatures to put a billionaire tax initiative on the November 2026 ballot.
The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act proposes a one-time 5% tax on the net worths of the roughly 200 billionaires living in California. They will also have the option to pay the tax over the course of five years.
According to an analysis of the initiative by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, this tax would raise tens of billions of dollars in revenue, most of which would be used for health care.
The initiative has garnered more than 1.5 million signatures, almost double the 875,000 required to qualify it for the ballot, according to the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West.
Doug Jones, a political organizer for the union, said that he expects the California Secretary of State to confirm that the initiative has qualified for the November 2026 ballot in the next three weeks.
He added that the initiative has received widespread support from local leaders and community organizations all over the state.
“If we don’t get this revenue, people will die,” said Jones. “People will suffer. Hospitals and clinics will reduce services and close. That will happen.”