San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer Monday announced a new initiative intended to make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for county residents.

Her plan is to increase reimbursement rates for Medi-Cal recipients and reduce the cost of prescription drugs for San Diegans.

According to Lawson-Remer’s office, nearly one million people in the county — including close to 325,000 children — rely on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, as a “vital support system to safeguard their health and well-being.”

“The longstanding issue of low reimbursement rates makes it harder for people to find care, contributes to a shortage of healthcare workers, and results in more San Diegans winding up the E.R. — which puts a huge strain on the region’s entire healthcare system and affects all of us,” said Lawson-Remer, vice chair of the Board of Supervisors. “We must deliver on the pledge of Medi-Cal and ensure that access to healthcare is not a privilege limited by circumstances, but a fundamental right upheld for all.”

At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday at 9 a.m., Lawson-Remer will present the plan and also call for county action to “address the root causes of high prescription drug prices and implement solutions to reduce costs for Medi-Cal and Medicare recipients,” a statement from her office read.