Thread: California Assembly passes universal health care

Unless something was changed this was also going to cover illegal immigrants.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/ ... 7669c.html

Assembly passes universal health care
By Clea Benson -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 6:27 pm PDT Monday, August 28, 2006
Democratic lawmakers moved Monday toward a pre-election showdown over health insurance with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Assembly approved a universal health-care bill that the Republican governor is likely to veto.

Senate Bill 840 would allow the state to run a single-payer health-care system that would cover all Californians, doing away with the role of private insurance companies. Private medical groups and hospitals would continue to provide care as usual, but they would be paid through the state system.

In theory, payroll taxes on businesses and individual income taxes would replace the premiums that individuals and businesses now pay to insurers. The bill does not allocate funding for the new system, and the funding method would have to be approved separately before the measure could go into effect.

The bill passed the Assembly on a largely partisan vote of 43 to 30. It must come up for a vote in the Senate this week before it can move to the governor's desk.

Margita Thompson, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger, said the administration would not comment on Monday's vote in keeping with a practice of not discussing pending legislation. But Schwarzenegger has said on several occasions that he does not support the single-payer approach, calling it a "tax increase."

Democrats have compromised with the governor on many issues in the past few weeks, reaching agreement on a minimum wage bill and a prescription-drug-discount plan for the uninsured, among other things. But they are clearly hoping to highlight their differences on health care in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 gubernatorial election.

"If it's vetoed...I hope the citizens of California will hang the albatross of bad health care around the governor's neck," Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica and the author of SB 840, said at a news conference before Monday's vote.

Schwarzenegger's Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, has not taken a position on SB 840.

Schwarzenegger has said making health coverage more accessible to more than six million Californians who do not have it is a priority for him. He has said he will release a specific plan for making health care more affordable in January if he is re-elected.

Democrats say they are unwilling to wait.

"This is a health-care system that is teetering on the brink of collapse," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, of Los Angeles. "We have 6.5 million people without insurance, skyrocketing costs of health-care premiums....We've put something on the table. This is our response, the single-payer plan."

Proponents of the plan say cutting out the cost of insurance-company overhead would save $8 billion per year over the current system, even if more than six million additional Californians were covered.

But Republicans, who voted against the measure Thursday, questioned that figure and called the plan "socialized medicine."

"Government-run health care simply does not work," said Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton. "Do we want our health care taken care of by another bloated bureaucracy?"

Here's another article. I'm convinced it covers illegals since one article mentions "all residents," and another says "all Californians."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... 0&refer=us

California Assembly Approves State-Run Universal Health Care

By Michael B. Marois

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The California Assembly passed a bill that could create a state-run agency to provide health insurance to all residents.

The bill, approved in a 43-to-30 vote, would create a single-payer health-care system operated by a new state agency that would cover all Californians. The measure still must be approved by the Senate and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger, who's seeking re-election in November, has said in the past the he doesn't support a single-payer system. The bill is opposed by business groups that back his campaign.

Under the new plan, doctors and hospitals would be paid from the state system rather than private insurers. Individual premiums would be based on income, while businesses would be charged premiums based on their payroll.

The measure follows a landmark Massachusetts law approved in April requiring all state residents to have health coverage.

U.S. states are seeking ways to provide health care for the uninsured and to reduce state medical costs for the poor at a time when some 16 percent of Americans are currently without coverage.

``California's health care system is the very definition of a system in crisis -- costs are high and options are low,'' Democratic Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, one of the authors of the bill, said in a statement. ``California spends more than $180 billion a year on health care, and a single-payer system would lower overall spending while covering everyone.''

Schwarzenegger press secretary Margita Thompson said his office would not comment on whether he intends to sign the bill.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael B. Marois in Sacramento at mmarois@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: August 29, 2006 00:17 EDT

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_repo ... R_ID=39510

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

State Watch
California Assembly Approves Bill That Would Create State-Run Single-Payer Health Care System

The California Assembly on Monday voted 43-30 to approve a bill (SB 840) that would create a government-operated, single-payer health care system, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The proposal has "virtually no chance of becoming law but could become fodder in the governor's race this fall," the Mercury News reports (Zapler/Garcia, San Jose Mercury News, 8/29). The bill would eliminate private medical insurance and establish a statewide health insurance system for all residents. Funding would have to be approved in a separate measure that has not yet been written (Gledhill, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/29). Funding was not included in the bill because it would then have required approval from two-thirds of the Legislature, "something that has not been possible" because of opposition from Republicans, the Los Angeles Times reports. Instead, the bill "simply lays the groundwork -- both bureaucratic and political -- for a universal health care system should future California lawmakers choose to adopt it," the Times reports. The bill would establish a 21-member commission that would develop a plan to recommend a structure of premiums. The report would be submitted to the governor and Legislature by January 2009. The bill also would establish an agency that would act as the state's insurer (Rau, Los Angeles Times, 8/29). The state Senate, which has previously approved the plan, is expected this week to approve changes the Assembly made to the bill. However, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has said he opposes a single-payer insurance system and is expected to veto the bill.

Reaction
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D) said, "We knew the health care in place today is teetering on collapse. We need to do something to improve it, to reform it, and this is what we are bringing to the table." State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D), who wrote the bill, said it "creates [health care] access for all Californians by steeply reducing administrative overhead and emphasizing preventative and primary care instead of endlessly cutting coverage and access to care or increasing consumer spending." Kuehl said that if Schwarzenegger vetoes the bill, it could be an issue in the election, adding, "I hope that the people of California will hang the albatross of bad health care around the governor's neck" (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/29). Schwarzenegger spokesperson Margita Thompson said the administration does not discuss pending legislation (Benson, Sacramento Bee, 8/29). State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has not endorsed the bill. Angelides spokesperson Nick Pappas said Angelides "supports moving toward universal health care by first covering all children and then requiring businesses to cover their employees." Assembly member Greg Aghazarian (R) said, "This [bill] creates a government-run system akin to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Do we want health care taken care of by another bloated bureaucracy?" Chris Ohman, president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans, said insurance companies can more effectively manage costs than the government. Ohman said, "If there isn't the focus and drive for advancing preventative programs, the sky's the limit in terms of what the costs will be," adding, "That's what health plans do" (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/29).

I believe it specifically does cover the "undocumented".

After all, California government now is a coalition of the far left wing San Francisco politicians and the Government of Mexico.

The only thing in the way is the Governor, and you never can tell what he's going to do.

Here's a sampling of some past articles about healthcare and illegals in California I found.

Ortiz bill affirms right of cities, counties to offer medical aid to illegal immigrants.

All eyes on S.F.'s ambitious universal health care plan

San Francisco OKs Universal Health Plan

Immigrant health already funded
Governor out to retake Latino voters

Legislative leaders agree on $131 billion state spending plan

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/medi ... 2710c.html]

Universal health care bill sent to governor
Veto is likely for plan that would end private insurers; proposals to expand prison system stall.
By Clea Benson and Andy Furillo -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:01 am PDT Friday, September 1, 2006
Legislators on Thursday sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a universal health care bill he is likely to veto and measures increasing the minimum wage and regulating greenhouse gases he is likely to sign.
Lawmakers battled a midnight deadline to deal with nearly 200 bills before the end of the two-year legislative session.

As they worked into the night, lawmakers also sent the Republican governor a bill to allow phone companies into the cable television market. They failed to deal with measures aimed at easing prison overcrowding, however, prompting a pledge by Schwarzenegger to find administrative options that can be acted on immediately without legislative approval.

A bill to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent over the next 14 years cleared the Assembly and went to Schwarzenegger on a 46-31 vote.

Assembly Bill 32 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, seeks to limit gases by reducing emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020.

Starting in 2012, the state would enforce a statewide cap on industries' emissions. Major industries believed to be the biggest contributors include utility plants, oil and gas refineries, and cement manufacturers.

The bill directs the California Air Resources Board to develop regulations, as well as establish by Jan. 1, 2008, a mandatory reporting system to track emissions.

Legislative Republicans, meanwhile, remained opposed to the measure, which Schwarzenegger pushed and said he will sign.

"This bill is a sham. This bill represents policy by press release," said Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo.

Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia, said the bill was unnecessary and amounts to "empowering a bureaucracy that is not answerable to the people."

"I don't buy in to this global warming hogwash," he said.

But Núñez countered that the Legislature has "an opportunity to be bold" by approving the measure."

"We cannot afford not to do anything about this," he said. "We must be forward looking."

The state correctional officers union, meanwhile, launched an all-out effort to derail a package of bills supported by Schwarzenegger and aimed at reducing overcrowding in California's 33 prisons.

With the prison measures having already cleared the state Senate, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association stationed teams of lobbyists and union officials -- more than a dozen in all -- outside the Assembly chambers and fanned their forces throughout the Capitol to buttonhole lawmakers on the final day of the legislative session.

"We're talking to anybody that will listen," CCPOA Vice President Chuck Alexander said in an interview. "We're telling them we need reform, real reform, and we support that. But this package is not reform. This is nothing more than a cover tactic on the part of whoever is running these issues to say, 'We did something.'"

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Acting Secretary James Tilton also worked the crowded halls of the Capitol in an effort to counteract the CCPOA onslaught.

But by midnight, the Legislature had not taken up the bills and Schwarzenegger issued a statement saying he would seek ways he could act unilaterally.

"The situation … is still critical and we must act immediately to ensure the safety of the public, correctional officers, and the men and women in our custody," Schwarzenegger said. "I will take executive action wherever possible and reintroduce a comprehensive proposal when the Legislature reconvenes."

Núñez spokesman Steve Maviglio said the prison package collapsed because "there was a bipartisan rejection of what the governor presented to the Legislature less than a month ago."

"Rather than embarrass the governor by putting it up for a vote, we'll continue on in the fall and after the election." he said.

By a 64-5 vote, the Assembly sent Schwarzenegger one of the most-lobbied bills in years, one that would allow phone companies to compete for cable television franchises.

Phone companies spent millions on advertising and hiring top-notch lobbyists to push Assembly Bill 2987, saying more competition would be better for consumers.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, called the bill "landmark legislation" that will serve as a model for the rest of the nation.

But Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, expressed concern that low-income communities would be hurt.

Núñez, the bill's author, assured Goldberg the measure had been amended to provide "more consumer protection." Phone rates will be frozen for two years, for example, Núñez said.

Senators voted 24-12 to approve Senate Bill 840, which would allow the state to run a single-payer health care system that would cover all Californians, doing away with the role of private insurance companies. Private medical groups and hospitals would continue to provide care as usual, but they would be paid through the state system.

In theory, payroll taxes on businesses and individual income taxes would replace the premiums that individuals and businesses now pay to insurers. The bill does not allocate funding for the new system, and the funding method would have to be approved separately before the measure could go into effect.

Schwarzenegger has described the approach as a tax increase on businesses that he cannot support.

The Assembly voted 44-28 to send Schwarzenegger an increase in the minimum wage that the governor negotiated with legislative Democrats.

Assembly Bill 1835 by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, would hike the state's current minimum wage of $6.75 an hour by 75 cents in January and by another 50 cents in January 2008.

Lawmakers also sent Schwarzenegger:

• Senate Bill 1534 by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, which affirms local governments' right to provide health services to undocumented immigrants. Ortiz says a bill is needed after Sacramento County was sued by a physician for allowing undocumented residents to benefit from public money.

• Senate Bill 162 by Ortiz, which would create a separate California Department of Public Health to tackle such issues as infectious diseases and dealing with the threat of bioterrorism. The bill would split the Department of Health Services into the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Care Services.

• Senate Bill 160 by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, which would allow illegal immigrants to apply for financial aid at California's community colleges and universities.

• Senate Bill 1578, a measure that would prohibit the long-term tethering of dogs. The bill's author, Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, said on the Senate floor that the bill exempts dogs used in hunting, herding and farming.

The bill allows for a fine up to $1,000 and or six months in jail for tying up a dog if it endangers the animal's health.

• Senate Bill 1379 by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. It creates a voluntary biomonitoring program for individuals to learn what chemicals are present in their bodies. The data would be used for research to determine links between certain chemicals and diseases.

Editor's note: This story has been changed from the version that appeared in print to correct the increases in the minimum wage.


About the writer:
The Bee's Clea Benson can be reached at (916) 326-5533 or cbenson@sacbee.com. Aurelio Rojas and Judy Lin of The Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report.

The bill, approved in a 43-to-30 vote, would create a single-payer health-care system operated by a new state agency that would cover all Californians. The measure still must be approved by the Senate and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I honestly believe the assembly knows this will not pass muster, but they are pushing it anyway in hopes of damaging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection chances. Darn, California has to get some of those elected Dems voted out! Imagine how bad it things will get if the Democrats take the governor seat too. I know, it's hard to imagine things getting any worse in California, but trust me - it can and will if California votes a Democrat into the governors seat.