More Reactions and Statements About Defeat of California Health Care Reform Bill

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

We start out with an analysis which at least has a bit of humor, before a smattering of what others have to say.

Lynn Suter of Suter, Wallauch, Corbett & Associates

Kill Bill: Although Senator Kuehl politely described action on AB 1x 1 as "the bill is being held in committee," plainspeak would dictate "the bill was defeated by the Senate Committee on Health." Although offered a reconsideration vote at a later time, the author--Speaker Fabian Nunez--declined. Everybody has just had enough for now. The LAO's analysis and the thorough airing of issues in AB 1X 1 at last week's hearing convinced Committee members that the Health Coverage Initiative is not ready for prime time. The biggest problem, according to committee members, was too many ifs, ands, and buts in the financing package. Coping with the uncertainty at a time of egregious fiscal woes in the state budget was just too much for the Senators to follow.

One Eye Blinking: The vote wasn't even close. All other votes cast were "no" votes except for Alquist, Cedillo, and Steinberg, who abstained. The only "Aye" vote on the 11-member Committee was Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas, who exhorted his colleagues to "take a step in the right direction," and to "move off the status quo."

You'll be hearing a lot about the progress made, the issues defined, and a lost chance to move forward. While it all may be true, Senator Kuehl pointed out that it really doesn't matter about all the good things in the bill if we can't pay for it. She referred to the Legislative Analyst's concern that although the proposal generates a lot of new money, it also contains many new responsibilities. The unknown coincidence of the two was too much for the Committee to stomach along with the magnitude of this year's state budget deficit.

Everybody talk at once. While the hearing was still going on, Senate PresProTem Perata issued a press release that quotes heavily from the LAO's 29 page analysis. It is a good synopsis of the questions raised, so we urge you to take a look at it.

End of the grinding line? Probably not. Health reform is still at the top of national and state agendas. As we've noted before after long hours of examining angels on the heads of pins, and negotiating points as fine as a sable brush - - We all sure know a lot more than we did a year ago! California will be well prepared to enter a national debate that we hope comes sooner rather than later.

Willie Pelote of the American, Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

Today, the Senate Health Committee of the state legislature rejected the universal health care reform bill backed by Governor Schwarzenegger and Speaker Nunez and passed by the Assembly on December 17, 2007. The historic and far-reaching legislation would have greatly expanded government’s oversight of health care, covered a majority of the state’s uninsured members, contained costs for the insured, and infused billions of new financing into the state’s broken health system.