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New Bill by Mark Leno Addresses Health Care Crisis
Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) announced Wednesday the reintroduction of legislation that would provide all Californians with universal health care. The California Universal Health Care Act of 2009 would guarantee comprehensive health care benefits to every California resident and streamline claims and reimbursements, which will save billions of dollars in health care administrative costs. Under Senate Bill 810, every Californian would have medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug benefits. The bill also preserves a patient’s right to choose his or her own doctors and hospitals.
“As a nation, we spend twice as much per person on health care as other wealthy countries, with the hope that our families will be protected from illnesses, yet most insured Americans still worry about how they will afford critical care if they become sick,” said Senator Leno. “In California, 7 million people do not have health insurance. Wasteful health care spending is crushing our economy and forcing families to forego basic medical care. With the money we spend today on health care, California can have a modern, universal health care system that provides high quality care for everyone,” he said.
The California Universal Health Care Act of 2009 would invest in modern technologies and infrastructure that improve care and reduce costs. The plan would emphasize prevention and primary health care, dramatically reduce administrative waste and utilize California’s purchasing power to realize savings on prescriptions and medical equipment.
“Reforms that leave insurance companies at the apex of power, or expand their reach, will betray the yearnings of Californians for real solutions to our health care crisis,” said RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Association. “Single payer health care reform is the most cost effective, comprehensive approach, as other industrialized countries have learned. It has the unified support of nurses and the public.”
SB 810 is co-authored by 43 legislators in both houses, including Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Senator Elaine Alquist, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, and Assemblymember Dave Jones, chair of the Assembly Committee on Health. The bill is also supported by a broad coalition of patients, nurses, doctors, teachers and school employees, retired workers, local governments and school districts. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school system in the U.S., supports the legislation because it would save the school district millions of dollars each year.
"SB810 creates a health care system that allows us to provide our patients with the health care they deserve and that we desire; it lets us spend less time with billing paperwork and more time with our patients,” said Jonah Muniz, a medical student at the University of California-Davis Medical School. “Most importantly, it guarantees everyone access to the health care services they need. We'll finally be able to treat our patients based on our clinical judgment, not the patient's health care coverage."
The California Universal Health Care Act is nearly identical to legislation (SB 840) that was introduced in 2007 by former Senator Sheila Kuehl. The California Legislature passed SB 840 in 2008, but it was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Comments
Way to go, Mr. Leno.
Hopefully the Governor doesn't veto this one...
Posted by: Kyle at March 12, 2009 01:46 PM
Too bad doctors (i.e. medical professionals...) are opposed, as they were SB 840.
Why did you say that the bill is supported by doctors? Which are you talking about? Or is support simply, "I have a doctor friend who kind-of likes it..."?
And I could really care less about what the education unions think about this bill; sure there are effects that reach into other sectors, but the main focus of this bill is HEALTH; and there is enough to talk about seriously in that area rather than getting everyone all cozy on the bandwagon.
Posted by: Overshadow at March 12, 2009 02:35 PM
Health care reform is a set in the right direction: Improve quality and cost-effectiveness.
Currently, at California's Office of the Patient Advocate we wish to provide quality measures and useful information to inform and educate consumers about their health care.
Visit: HealthCareQuality.ca.gov to see quality ranking on the top HMOs and Medical Groups in California.
-The Office of the Patient Advocate
opa.ca.gov
Cal: 1.888.466.2219 for help with your Health Plan and ask for your Free Health Plan Guide.
Posted by: Californa's Office of the Patient Advocate at March 13, 2009 04:11 PM
In response to Kyle's comment above: Doctors are not opposed to SB 810, they for the most part whole heartedly support it (I'm a medical student who was present with the other medical professionals at the conference). In fact they are sick and tired of dealing with the current fragmented, failing healthcare system and seeing patients suffer and die everyday because they do not have healthcare or are underinsured.
Posted by: Heena Panchal at March 13, 2009 11:54 PM
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