[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Permanent Policy Changes, Not One-Time Cuts, Would Hinder Reform
• Magnitude of Cuts Would Have Ripple Effects Through System
• Health Consumers and Providers Urge Alternative to Cuts-Only Budget

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Earlier this week, Governor Schwarzenegger called the number of uninsured in California a "moral crisis"--and he was right, both about that and the need for concerted action on health reform.

Unfortunately, the Governor's cuts-only budget goes in completely the opposite direction, making our health care system even more broken, and leaving more people uninsured. Yesterday, we released a report that reveals the full magnitude of the cuts the Governor proposes--with over one million more Californians uninsured. While the Legislature has adopted some of these cuts and rejected others, all of these proposals are on the table until a budget solution is agreed to. There's early press from Aurelio Rojas at the Sacramento Bee and Jordan Rau of the Los Angeles Times.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Good Health Wonk Review just published at the Health Affairs Blog, including our post on budget cuts being a big threat to health reform. Lots of good posts.

The Health Affairs Blog had a previous post of note, "Who Speaks for the Health Care Consumer?" Ron Cunningham quickly debunks the mis-used term of "consumer-directed health care," asking "When did consumers ever stand up and demand that they be allowed to pay more when they are sick?"

Taking the question seriously, he reports that "Unresolved questions about the meaning of consumer engagement in the health sphere surfaced Monday in a lively conversation among health services researchers at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting in Washington." Here's a provocative paragraph:

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Those interested in health policy should be subscribed to the news summary that the Kaiser Family Foundation puts out on a daily basis. Now, those summaries will often include a health policy blog roundup, which will be another way to keep up-to-date. Here are several gold nuggets they found from panning the blogosphere about McCain's health plan:

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Reform efforts continue in 2008 on individual market reform and transparency
• Consumer protection measures focus on balance billing and rescissions
• Health advocates oppose bills to lower coverage standards

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Undaunted by last year's failure to pass comprehensive health reform legislation , health advocates statewide are forging ahead on a three-year effort to win universal health coverage in California.

A number of bills have been introduced this year, which attempt to address various aspects of the health care market, and build upon last year's momentum and policy discussions. Many of the topics will be familiar to advocates who have worked on reform. In fact, many of the ideas being pushed this year were present -- in some form -- in ABx1 1 (Nunez). Those ideas include the disclosure of cost and quality data by health providers, a statewide public insurer to compete with private plans, and the organization of the individual insurance market into tiers and an ultimate ban on "junk" insurance.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Consumer and Community Advocates Argue Against Sinking Status Quo; Support AB X1 1

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

On the day of an crucial hearing at the Senate Health Committee, many consumer and community advocacy groups urged for the passage of AB x1 1 (Nunez), that would secure or expand coverage to over 95% of California consumers.

This reform not only extends coverage to the vast majority of the uninsured, but provides assistance and assurance to millions of Californians with coverage, who are concerned it's not going to be there for them when they need it. This reform doesn't solve all the problems in our health system, but it fixes many of them, and provides a platform from which we can address the rest.

The reform proposal to be heard in the Senate Health Committee will provide significant help to not just low-income and uninsured Californians, but for families up and down the income scale, and for those insured, whether on the job, through a public program, or as a purchaser on the individual market.

For a full description of the help that different categories of Californians get, visit the Health Access California analysis.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Here's a list of resources on health reform and AB x1 1, for your perusal:

* Text of bill (with history and analyses), AB x1 1 (Nunez/Perata)

* Actual Initiative, filed at Attorney General's Office

* Fact Sheet on AB x1 1 from Speaker's Office

* Fact Sheet on AB x1 1 from Governor's Office

* Assembly Floor Analysis on AB x1 1

* Health Access Letter on AB x1 1

* Health Access Analysis: Who Gets What Help?
(Best document to find out how AB x1 1 would impact you and your family)