California Assembly Health Committee Chair Mervyn Dymally Discusses the Democrats’ Comprehensive Health Care Reform Bill

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In the Democratic weekly radio address Assembly Health Committee. Committee Chair Mervyn Dymally talks about the new Democratic health care reform legislation. Assembly Bill 1X, authored by Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President pro Tem Don Perata that was approved earlier this week by his committee. He says the new health care bill is bold and realistic. He is joined by Assemblymember Ed Hernandez who addresses this issue in Spanish.

You may listen in English or Spanish or read the full transcripts of this week’s Democratic radio addresses follow:

Hello friends, this is Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, chairman of the Assembly Health Committee.

California’s health care system is badly broken.

Believe it or not over 6.3 million Californians are without health insurance, and over 700-thousand of them are children.

During the last session of the legislature the Democratic leadership had put forward a bill, Assembly Bill 8, which while admittedly was not as universal as we would have liked, it was achievable and responsible. Unfortunately, it was vetoed by the Governor.

The Governor had his own plan, which while expansive in terms of coverage, fell short on one, affordability; two, transparency, and relied too much on unrealistic financing.

That’s where things stood at the end of the session. Until this month.

A new Democratic health care proposal is more comprehensive in scope.

The Governor insisted on an individual mandate, requiring all Californians to purchase coverage, and we have included that in this bill, but with vital consumer protections and cost containments.

We do not see it as an improvement to force people to pay for insurance instead of food or rent, so if health care costs exceed 6.5% of a person’s income, they can opt out of the insurance plan.

But the vast majority affected would have no reason to opt out, because all single-adults up to 250% of the federal poverty line, and all children and parents up to 300% of the federal poverty line, are guaranteed coverage under our plan.