Arnold’s Veto ‘Dashes Hopes’ of California Health Care Reform

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/10/10/arnolds-veto-dashes-hopes-of-health-care-reform/

by James Parks, Oct 10, 2007

Despite calling for health care reform, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is expected today to veto a bill, AB 8, that would extend affordable coverage to the vast majority of uninsured Californians.

Art Pulaski, executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation, says that by vetoing the bill:

Schwarzenegger will dash the hopes of working families who cannot afford to wait another day for change to happen.

The 127-page bill, which had strong support from working families, would establish a minimum standard, like the minimum wage, for employer health care spending. It would require employers to provide health coverage for workers or pay a fee to the state, which would then arrange insurance for those workers.

The bill also would help control the spiraling costs of health care and ensure that moderate-income working families would not have to spend more than 5 percent of their wages on health costs. AB 8 also would implement a prescription drug bulk purchasing program and a public insurance option to compete with private insurers.

Says Pulaski:

The governor should recognize the hard work and compromise that went into this bill, and use this framework as a starting point for real, affordable health care for all Californians. Working families know that if it’s not affordable, it’s not real health care reform.

FULL story at link.

[Demeter]

1. Since It Wasn't Single Payer, California Wins

To let a state set up a get-out-of-paying system for the federal or state government is not a good solution.

We all win when we are all covered in a government-paid health care program funded by public tax money. Except the health insurance companies (unless they aren't making money anyway...)

[Cleita]

3. I agree. Arnold has somewhat shot himself in the foot.

He has shown the moderate conservatives what an extreme RWer he is.

[Cleita]

2. The new Republican order just seems to be getting into place in CA

I think Arnold though is done with his supporters. Property values are dropping fast here in California and this will make his supporters turn on him.

[Cha]

4. Are people moving to other

states again? Is that why they're dropping?

[Cleita]

6. No. When we had a real estate boom in the eighties, people

sold their property for three to sometimes five times the value of what they paid for it. They moved to other states to buy cheap property. They could buy three houses for what they received for their one house in CA. Now, they can't sell their property for what they bought it for. There will be no moving to other states, but they are pissed because they can't sell their property for even what they bought it for. There is a situation exactly like this in the property next to my kids property.

[Cha]

7. Thanks Cleita!

I guess the market is gutted with houses for sale and it's a buyers market in Calif.
This is from May 2006..
snip~
"Buyers' home market emerges in U.S.

Blame market forces. As higher interest rates dampen demand in cities and suburbs that only a year ago saw fierce bidding wars among numerous buyers, sellers are begrudgingly lowering their prices to drum up interest, as some in Northern California are doing.

A house at 57 Marina Boulevard in San Rafael, north of San Francisco, was originally listed at $1.45 million.The owner recently dropped the price to $949,000 as a competing house on the same street lowered its price to $959,000 from $989,000. In Marin County, which includes San Rafael, about a quarter of all listings have been reduced.

County records show that 57 Marina Boulevard was sold in February for $700,000, so the owner, Dan Marr, is unlikely to lose money in any sale, though he will probably not profit as much as he had hoped. "I don't want to talk about it," he said.

It is getting tough out there for sellers. What is happening in Marin County is being repeated in cities and suburbs across the United States. Nearly a year after the sales of homes peaked, buyers are wresting control from sellers in many areas as inventories of unsold homes have grown, in some markets doubling. Few people are losing money after the run-up in housing prices in the past 10 years. But now, the air is slowly coming out the market.

"It's going from a sellers' market to a buyers' market," said David Lereah, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. In March, "price appreciation went down to 7.4 percent from over 10 percent," he said, adding, "That most probably reflects that sellers are bringing their prices down."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/09/business/house.php

I still don't understand exactly why.

[fed-up]

5. SB 840 is the one we want him to sign for single payer/universal health care nt