Calif. Health Initiative on Deathbed

[ursi]

Source: Washington Post

The California Senate's health committee effectively killed an ambitious proposal to create a near-universal health-care system, dealing a major political defeat yesterday to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a setback to similar efforts nationally.

The bill, which would have covered nearly 4 million people, or 70 percent of the state's uninsured residents, had been a top priority for Schwarzenegger (R) since last January, when the governor presented a proposal to create a system that would guarantee health insurance for all Californians.

"I will not give up trying to fix our broken health-care system," Schwarzenegger said after the vote. "The issue is too important, and the crisis is too serious, to walk away after all the great progress we have made."

Schwarzenegger negotiated mainly with Democrats, who control the state legislature and had their own ideas for a health-care overhaul. They proved more amenable to a major initiative than state Republicans, who were deeply skeptical of the plans. Late in the year, the governor found a partner in Assembly Speaker Fabian N¿¿ez, and the Assembly passed a compromise bill on a party-line vote late last month.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012802397.html?hpid=moreheadlines

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I'm sure the conservatives in this country are happy about this.

[bemildred]

1. Good. I want health care, not health insurance. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My understanding is that it was a truly bad plan...

Shiela Kuehl's bill is much better...

But it is truly single-payer health care...

And it looks to be DOA, unfortunately...

[alittlelark]

3. It was a TRULY bad plan.....

WE killed it.

[stimbox]

4. A letter from One Healthcare Now explaining the defeat of ABX1 1.

This defeat is a good thing. Sheila Kuehl's SB 840 is a much better plan.

In case you've not heard, ABX1 1 died in Senate Health Committee today, garnering just one yes vote from 11 Committee members. This is a huge victory for Senator Kuehl, the Legislative Analyst and all of us at HCA-CA and the State Strategy Group coalition.

We looked beyond the all-out power play of the Governor and the Speaker (and AARP, SEIU, Health Access,etc.) and scrutinized the fine print and the folly of ABX1 1.

As Senator Kuehl stated before she called for the final and fatal vote in her committee, "The Emperor has no clothes." Indeed, after the marathon hearing last Wednesday in her committee, it became clear that ABX1 1 was fatally flawed. The proponents stated that ABX1 1 was better than the status quo. However, ABX1 1 countered Kuehl's dictum: "Do No Harm." ABX1 1 would do harm and that became clear during the Wednesday hearing.

We will soon finalize strategies for passage of SB 840 without the distraction of a flawed health care reform proposal in the Legislature.

Congratulations to all of you across the state who lobbied your Senators!

Best,

Andrew McGuire
HCA-CA Executive Director

Watch Healthcare Solution video on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAWZrfYXs-c

[Vinca]

5. I wish they would finally acknowledge the fact that universal healthcare

cannot be done as a patchwork of different programs. That will only compound the existing problems and will most likely cause a rise in prices for everyone else. Universal is universal and it needs to originate in Washington. It also needs to give the ax to the insurance companies and their billions in dollars of profits.

[Joe Bacon]

6. We'll keep fighting for Sheila's Single Payer Bill

because The PIMPS who run the Murder by Spreadsheet racket have to go!