UCLA’s Mark A. Peterson appeared on KQED’s “Forum” to talk about what could happen to California health care programs as the Trump administration takes power. The Republican Party has signaled plans to overhaul the federal Medicaid program, which provides health care for low-income people, possibly leading to billions of dollars in cuts to California. Trump policies could also have major implications for the state’s health insurance marketplace as well as programs addressing homelessness and reproductive health. “The reality is that the delivery of health care is a rescue operation. That’s what we do when people become ill,” said Peterson, a professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin and senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “Well, what if we can prevent people from becoming ill in the first place? Which would be both enhancement for their lives and their economic productivity. It would also mean we’d be spending less on health care.”