No Ins Co involved in Cal. Univ. Health Care - unlike Mass Plan

I love the GOP ignoring the well run Medicare program - as they compare the proposed CA health care "government-run system" to the Department of Motor Vehicles, predicting, again ignore Medicare, that there will be a "bloated bureaucracy" that will ignore cost reducing "preventative programs".

Meanwhile the Massachusetts and San Francisco universal plans still use insurance companies-- providing funds for those great CEO salaries and stockholder returns, and maintaining the underwriting concept of keeping costs down by denying the sick affordable health care. I do love the health insurance companies selling their ability to "manage costs" when they are themselves an extra 20 to 30% cost - and thats even after dumping the "uninsurables" onto the government while offering the "uninsurables" - read the folks who are "sick" - minimal, albeit "affordable" insurance that pays for nearly nothing.

I rather like a health care measure that would:

-- Eliminate private health insurance plans and create the California Health Insurance System.

-- Provide health care insurance for all Californians.

-- Guarantee patients the ability to choose their own doctors and hospitals.

-- Pool funds now being spent on health insurance and save money by reducing overhead and using leveraged buying power for things like prescription drugs.

I also like getting it passed in one bill, knowing that it will require separate legislation to establish financing of the system.



http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/29/MNGBSKR3RA1.DTL

Assembly approves universal health care
Passage of bill seen as election-year test for Schwarzenegger
Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Sacramento -- <snip>On a largely party-line 43-30 vote, the Assembly approved a bill by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, that would eliminate private medical insurance plans and establish a statewide health insurance system that would provide coverage to all Californians. The state Senate has already approved the plan once and is expected this week to approve changes that the Assembly made to the bill. <snip>

(Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides -not supporting the Kuehl bill) " supports moving toward universal health care by first covering all children and then requiring businesses to cover their employees," said Angelides spokesman Nick Pappas. <snip>

SB840 would provide comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug coverage to every California resident. Anyone could see any doctor or go to any hospital. <snip>

That would mean combining all state and federal funds, along with business contributions and participant payments and co-payments. The report suggests that funding could come through an 8 percent payroll tax and a 3 percent individual income tax. <snip>

being as it's really just a politcal ploy by the Democrats, and all.

:-)

create another "govenment bureaucracy" - do you want government running your health care - bla bla bla - the usual.

on all things administrative including claim payments - I'd expect the ins companies to jump at the chance to continue to make at least a few dollars and to bid their best cost plus bid for the 2 or 5 year administrative services only contracts that will be used to administer this - just as they now do for Medicare Part B.

Do these folks have to lie about everything?

Unlike the MA bill, which is an unimplementable Rube Goldberg mishmash to protect private insurers, the CA bill, at first glance, seems to makes a good bit of sense. Why the &*#$ is it not getting press?

Wake up people!

We're in Oregon, so it's almost a local story. :)

3 people, had no idea. I had to repeat several times "It covers EVERYBODY. UNIVERSAL Health Care". Other than picking up the dropped jaws and wiping the drool, it was a good time.

I also let them know that it had passed both the house and the senate, and was only waiting for the Gov.'s signature. Threw in a comment about how bad it would be for Ahhnold if he vetoed it.

From healthcare coverage.

Universal, single-payer healthcare. Privately administered and publicly funded.

www.healthcare-now.org

of endorsing it as a party position.

I sure hope it becomes the party's health care approach.

--would prefer something like MA.

approach that continues the don't cover the sick as a way to lower costs idioticy is not clear to me. His health issue posting says nothing about single payer universal health coverage - we only have the articles "Angelides spokesman Nick Pappas" quote.

Covering the Uninsured
Angelides finds it unconscionable that in the richest state in the wealthiest nation on earth, one out of every five Californians lives without health coverage. Over the last three years, health care premium costs have almost doubled for California employees. Of the uninsured, 80 percent are members of working families. Angelides is supporting efforts to increase access and ultimately provide coverage to all California families.


Supporting Community Clinics
As Chair of the California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA), Angelides launched innovative new programs to support community health clinics serving families, the disabled and the elderly. CHFFA has provided loans and grants to more than 300 community clinics throughout the state to help expand health care services to California children and families.


Stopping WellPoint-Anthem Merger
To protect millions of Californians from rising health care costs, Angelides fought to stop the merger of WellPoint Health Networks (Blue Cross of California's parent company) and Anthem Incorporated. The excessive and obscene planned payouts of up to $600 million in bonuses and accelerated stock options to WellPoint executives would harm the 7 million Californians covered by Blue Cross. Read more about the Opposition to WellPoint Health Networks and Anthem Merger.


Fighting Republican Attempts to Slash Services
Angelides has repeatedly stood up in opposition to recent Republican efforts that would make a bad system even worse. When Governor Schwarzenegger proposed severe cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services program, Angelides fought to protect home care services for 75,000 seniors and disabled people and save the jobs of caregivers who provide these services. When Governor Schwarzenegger tried to cut health care access for 100,000 kids through the State's Healthy Families program, Angelides fought to protect health care for California children.

great OP