By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

Even though President George Bush only wants to provide health coverage to the poorest families, many states are planning to extend coverage to an increasingly middle-income population, according to an Associated Press story today.

Under current law, only children in families up to 200% of poverty ($41,300 for a family of four) could qualify for the program.

But 18 states, including California, allow children to qualify if the family income is higher than 200%. (In California, children in families at 250% of the poverty level could qualify, though many proposals in the Legislature -- including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's -- would increase that to 300% of poverty - $51,510 for a family of four).

New York state just expanded its program to include children in families earning up to $82,600 a year -- or four times the poverty level.

This irritates the Bush administration, which opined that if everyone followed NY's lead, then 71% of children in the country would be covered through public programs.

Now, that doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

[Cross-posted at the Health Access California blog.]

April 30, 2007 at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Matt Ortega
It's OUR Healthcare

This week, It's OUR Healthcare will have a video crew capturing the real healthcare stories of Californians in five cities. The footage will be used to help persuade state policymakers that we want real change this year.

Check below the fold for times and locations in your area.

Oakland
Monday, April 30 -- 4-7pm, Oakland UHW office
560 Thomas L. Berkley Way @ Telegraph and San Pablo, downtown Oakland
Contact: Jessica Rothhaar, IOH Bay Area Organizer, jessicar@itsOURhealthcare.org, 510-873-8787 ext. 107

Sacramento
Tuesday, May 1 -- 4-7pm, Nurse Alliance Conference
Capitol Plaza Holiday Inn, 300 J Street, Sacramento
Contact: Jan Brown, IOH Northern Central Valley/Sacramento Organizer, jbrown@itsOURhealthcare.org, 916-492-9557

Fresno
Wednesday, May 2 -- 4-7pm, UHW office
1279 N. Wishon Avenue, Fresno
Contact: Mai Thao, IOH Fresno Area Organizer, mthao@itsOURhealthcare.org, 559-970-3244

Los Angeles
Thursday, May 3 -- 4-8pm, Local 721 office
500 S. Virgil, Los Angeles
Contact: Patty Cardona, L.A./Southern California Organizer, pcardona@itsOURhealthcare.org, 213-413-3587

San Diego
Friday, May 4 -- 4-7pm, Local 221 office
4004 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego
Contact: John Dolon, L.A./Southern California Organizer, jdolon@itsOURhealthcare.org, 213-413-3587

April 30, 2007 at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

There's a common perception out there that seniors are "taken care of'' when it comes to healthcare. But many adults between the ages of 55 and 64 are increasingly filing for bankruptcy as a result -- partially -- of higher health care costs, according to this L.A. Times article.

Senior researcher Jose Garcia, who examines consumer finance trends at New York-based Demos, said rising costs for housing and healthcare, especially prescription drugs, had made older Americans more dependent on credit. This, in turn, makes them more vulnerable to financial rough spots.

"We see general trends that will definitely impact coming generations," Garcia said. [...]

The steepest increase in Chapter 7 filings, the most common type of personal bankruptcy, occurred among people older than 55.

When you think about it, though, it's no surprise. Medicare benefits don't begin until 65. By the time you're 55, you've got a good history of pre-existing conditions, making it more expensive to cover you. And employers are looking for younger, cheaper workers -- because you cost too much in more ways than one.

More reason for us to get on the ball and do something this year.

The report, produced by researchers John Golmant and Tom Ulrich, will be published in the May issue of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

April 27, 2007 at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Matt Ortega
It's OUR Healthcare

IOH coalition member AARP will be launching a media blitz on healthcare reform in California, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

With California's top legislative leaders and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaiming 2007 to be "the year" for healthcare, nobody is taking it lightly.

"We don't want to miss this very unique opportunity in California," said Mark Beach, a spokesman for the group. "We want to keep the issue before voters and make sure that legislative leaders know that our members and all Californians will hold them accountable for producing real reform this year."

You can help by sharing your healthcare story and signing up for updates.

April 26, 2007 at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

It's been a busy week in health reform. Today, the last of three health reform bills – SB48 (Perata) – was heard and passed out of Senate Health Committee.

The bill – jointly authored by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Sen. Sheila Kuehl – attacks health reform in the "shared responsibility'' fashion that the Governor and AB8 by Assembly Speaker Nunez do. Kuehl, however, has her own single-payer proposal SB840, which passed last week.

Perata's bill has a little of this and a little of that:

Requiring employers to contribute to employee health plans or pay a fee.

Reining in the insurance company practice of discriminating against people with "pre-existing" conditions.

Expanding public programs, such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.

And requiring that every Californian earning more than $41,000 (individual) to have health insurance – whether you're offered it on the job or not.

(Read the full text of the bill here.)

What was interesting about the debate, to me, was the sense that despite concerns about specific issues, all parties acknowledge that this was the year to get something done.

Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a strong advocate for consumers and considered a rock star in health policy circles for her persistence in getting a single-payer system in California, said she is often asked why she is co-authoring SB48.

"I think of your bill and the Speaker's bill as attempting to move us…(toward) extended coverage for some people in California, and attempting to move it in a way that does no harm,'' she said. "It's a good attempt to cover working people.''

But, Kuehl admonished, she would be extremely sensitive to any proposals that leave Californians worse off than they are now.

She appreciated Perata's willingness to work on further expanding coverage and making sure that coverage is affordable, saying that once all is said and done, Californian's shouldn't be saying, "Why did they do this to me?''

While they may be saying, "Why didn't they do more for me,'' Kuehl said, that's a different question.

Sen. Perata agreed with Kuehl.

"Why this year? Why this bill? I know the better [bill],'' said Sen. Perata referring to SB840, which would be vetoed – again – by Gov. Schwarzenegger if it landed on his desk. "But if we can't do something for someone now, then shame on us."

April 25, 2007 at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)

By Matt Ortega
It's OUR Healthcare

In the Assembly Health Committee, AB 8, the healthcare bill introduced by Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) passed with a 10 to 5 party line vote yesterday. The healthcare proposal from Senate Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland), SB 48, is in the Senate Health Committee today.

Frank D. Russo of the California Progress Report described a packed house both inside and out of room 4202.

The scene in the afternoon outside the Assembly Health Care Committee, meeting in the largest room in the Capitol did not disappoint. The room and the balcony were filled to capacity. Outside the room in the hallway, there was a rope (the kind you see at movie theaters or while standing in line at an airport) that wound its way around the corner so that dozens who wanted to testify in support or opposition could make their views known to the committee.

Tuesday's turnout is a testament to the desire of Californians to get real healthcare reform this year. The It's OUR Healthcare coalition is committed to meaningful reform that leads to quality, affordable healthcare for every Californian.

(Health Access Executive Director Anthony Wright compiled a round-up of healthcare bills that were voted on in committee yesterday.)

Watch Speaker Núñez discuss his bill, AB 8, in front of the Assembly Health Committee yesterday. (Video provided by Assembly Access. Hat tip to Frank Russo.)

April 25, 2007 at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Matt Ortega
It's OUR Healthcare

Last week, members of the IOH online team spent a few hours in downtown Oakland talking to people about their experiences with healthcare. We heard stories from the insured and the uninsured. Some of the common themes were expanding access, easing the financing burden on individuals and ensuring quality care for all when they need it.

Every year, six million Californians go without health insurance but sometimes statistics and numbers are so overwhelming that the point gets lost -- real people are dealing with these problems every day. The current state of healthcare in California affects real people, like Major who is struggling to find affordable health insurance for his son.

The status quo is unacceptable and Sacramento is finally getting the message. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and leaders in the state legislature say that 2007 is the year. But if we want healthcare that we can count on, we all have a part to play in securing quality and affordable care.We want to ensure that their voices are heard and part of the debate.

IOH will continue to collect stories from Californians all over the state. You can share your story or upload a video to YouTube and let us know! It just may be our featured healthcare story.

April 23, 2007 at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Matt Ortega
It's OUR Healthcare

Donald Cohen, president of the IOH member organization Center for Policy Initiatives (CPI), penned a San Diego Union-Tribune editorial on Tuesday that blasted Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan for shifting the brunt of the healthcare burden from employers to individuals.

Under the cloak of so-called "shared responsibility," the Governor's plan requires every Californian, by hook or crook, to have health insurance and lowers the bar for employers to half of the current average. Cohen explained that such an arrangement is "unrealistic" and "dead wrong."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to force every person in California to buy or otherwise obtain health insurance. If you fail to get insured, he proposes to track you down and fine you until you pay up. For the millions of uninsured and underinsured struggling to balance rent, food, car payments, college tuitions and other basic needs, it'll now be a crime to be without health care. Another notch in the middle-class squeeze. [...]

Schwarzenegger seems determined not to include businesses in his concept of shared responsibility. His proposal asks employers who don't cover their workers to pay 4 percent of payroll to a fund for the uninsured. That's a huge bailout for employers and could well cause further cost-shifting to individuals: Employers that provide health benefits now spend an average of 8 percent of payroll, according to the California HealthCare Foundation. [emphasis added]

Governor Schwarzenegger's inclusion of an individual mandate in his healthcare proposal is just one of many reasons why average Californians must make their voices heard in Sacramento.

Read the full editorial at the San Diego Union-Tribune.

April 19, 2007 at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

In another inspiring day at the Capitol, hundreds of supporters packed hallways and overflowed hearing rooms -- for the second time this year -- in support of Sen. Sheila Kuehl's SB840, which would create a single-payer health system in California.

This is the fifth year that Kuehl has introduced the measure and support has snowballed.

In addition to the standing-room only crowd, who needed to be told not to cheer in the hearing room, more than four dozen supporters lined up to announce their support for the bill to lawmakers. This strong showing nearly drowned out the seven sheepishly opposing voices coming from business, health insurers and medical providers.

Last year, for the first time, Kuehl's SB840 passed both houses of the Legislature and landed on the governor's desk. It was the first time a single-payer measure has ever made it that far in California. Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill.

Asked whether she believed the governor would "realistically'' sign the bill this year in light of last year's veto, Kuehl said, "I'm not sure I do expect a different result this year. But I do expect a different result eventually.''

We will continue to follow health reform efforts next week when Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez’s and Senate Leader Don Perata’s legislation comes before committee.

April 18, 2007 at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

More than 200 union members, health activists and seniors met at the Capitol yesterday to kick off the "It's OUR Healthcare" story collection drive.

Photos of dozens of Californians – who've been through the healthcare ringer in one way or another -- littered the Capitol lawn.

One woman is still receiving bills from the doctor who declared her husband dead. Another woman and her husband had to declare bankruptcy after she battled breast cancer – twice – and her husband had open heart surgery in the same two years.

Unfortunately, these stories aren't unique.

Art Pulaski, the California Labor Federation's Executive Secretary-Treasurer, called on organizers to collect more stories to encircle the Capitol and run through the hallways – a very tangible way to remind lawmakers that the purpose of health reform is to protect consumers – not insurance company executives and not politicians.

In addition to the hundreds of people who attended the rally in Capitol Park, hundreds of other union and It's OUR Healthcare! Coalition members were knocking on lawmakers' doors in the Capitol, telling their stories and urging reform.

The action didn't stop in Sacramento. In Los Angeles and the Bay Area, health advocates were also moved to action.

If you are someone – or know someone – with a healthcare nightmare, urge them to share their story.

It is a busy week for healthcare reformers as Health Access California Executive Director Anthony Wright notes at the California Progress Report.

April 18, 2007 at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (68) | Trackbacks (0)

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

Fortune Magazine just released its Top 500 companies this weekend.

It's no surprise that seven health insurers cracked that list. In all, thirteen health insurance companies made the Top 1000.

UnitedHealth Group made the biggest leap (from 37 to 21), largely due to its acquisition of PacifiCare.

Wellpoint -- the parent company of Blue Cross California -- is the other health insurer in the top 50 -- bumping up three places from 38 to 35.

In 2006, Wellpoint made nearly $57 billion. Profits rose by 26 percent.

With these fortunes, it's no wonder that Wellpoint subsidiary Blue Cross California is leading an aggressive fight against California's health reform efforts -- as detailed in Mike Zapler's San Jose Mercury News article this weekend.

April 17, 2007 at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Access California

There is this misconception that healthcare is readily available to anyone -- that any person who is sick can see a doctor at any time.

Not so.

We activists know that without health coverage, the neediest among us end up paying the highest prices for health care, or going without.

Congress is now trying to change this situation for legal immigrant children and pregnant women. Currently, low-income immigrant children, who are here legally, cannot enroll in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families until they have been here for five years.

The Legal Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) (S. 764, H.R. 1308) would allow states to enroll these children in those programs.

California already covers legal immigrant children and pregnant mothers. However, we don't get paid for it. If this law passed, it would go a long way toward helping pay for these services and create a more solid foundation for the state’s efforts this year to provide universal health care to all Californians. A letter of support for ICHIA and signed by various healthcare groups, including a number of "It's OUR Healthcare!" coalition partners, was sent to Congress last month.

A separate letter of support from governors is currently being circulated, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not yet signed on. If our governor signs on, many Republican governors have also signaled they’d join in the fight.

In late February of this year, Governor Schwarzenegger sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt where he reiterated his top healthcare priority -- universal coverage in California. Getting this money for children's coverage would be a boon to his efforts.

California Partnership, an IOH coalition member organization, instructs visitors to their website:

We need you to contact the Governor's office TODAY and voice your group's support for this letter.

If you need a phone script, visit the California Partnership website, or click here for the Microsoft Word document.

Contact the Governor
Phone (916) 445-2841 | Fax (916) 445-4633

April 16, 2007 at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)