[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

One more thing about the Legislative Analyst’s Office beyond yesterday’s article, and their role in health reform, in the recent debate, and in the future.

THE LAO'S INFLUENCE: While some have seen the LAO report as a factor in the stalling of AB x1 1 and health reform this year, I think the evidence shows that it was the easy excuse--rather than the actual reason--for the Senate to stop the bill. (For example, one Senator said that the LAO report was determinative in deciding how to vote, even though that Senator had announced opposition to the proposal months earlier.)

In other words, the LAO report, along with other factors, helped create an environment where a "no" vote was acceptable and even easy. The LAO has no formal decision-making power, but it does have influence, and its decisions do have political consequences.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Susan Brink at the LA Times has a lengthy overview of the SCHIP children's coverage crisis, from the point of view of one middle-class family that isn't eligible for children's coverage now, but their kids would be covered under the reform proposals by Governor Schwarzenegger and the legislative leadership, if the federal government gets around to funding the program.

More on the political side, there's an important article by Zachery Coile at the San Francisco Chronicle describing the awful choices that California has with regard to the SCHIP discussion: without a resolution in DC, California is on the brink of disenrolling hundreds of thousands of children from the current program.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Art Pulaski
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
California Labor Federation

The California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, is strongly committed to achieving real health care reform this year. We have worked throughout the year with the Legislature and the Administration to tackle the real and challenging issues of expanding health care coverage, containing costs, and ensuring affordability for working families. It is in this spirit of cooperation and commitment to reform that we can, on behalf of the more than two million members we represent, support ABx1 1 if it is amended to address several outstanding concerns.

ABx1 1 includes many important provisions that will help California’s working families.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Assembly Health Committee passes Democratic leadership’s health measure, ABX1 1
• 60 witnesses testify for over three hours
• Floor vote set for week after Thanksgiving

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

For another time this year, the Assembly Health Committee Wednesday passed comprehensive health reform legislation aimed at expanding coverage to a significant swath of California’s 6.5 million uninsured. The newly reconstituted Assembly Health Committee voted on the first health reform bill of the special session, ABX1 1 (Nunez/Perata) and vowed to send the bill to its Senate counterpart by the end of the month. The bill passed on a 10-5 party-line vote.

The committee also rejected an Assembly Republican proposal, AB X1 8, which opponents said would decimate the state’s HMO Patient Bill of Rights and other consumer protections, and promote high-deductible health plans through Health Savings Accounts, leaving more people underinsured in the state.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Assembly Health Committee passes Democratic leadership’s health measure, ABX1 1
• 60 witnesses testify for over three hours
• Floor vote set for week after Thanksgiving

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

For another time this year, the Assembly Health Committee Wednesday passed comprehensive health reform legislation aimed at expanding coverage to a significant swath of California’s 6.5 million uninsured. The newly reconstituted Assembly Health Committee voted on the first health reform bill of the special session, ABX1 1 (Nunez/Perata) and vowed to send the bill to its Senate counterpart by the end of the month. The bill passed on a 10-5 party-line vote.

The committee also rejected an Assembly Republican proposal, AB X1 8, which opponents said would decimate the state’s HMO Patient Bill of Rights and other consumer protections, and promote high-deductible health plans through Health Savings Accounts, leaving more people underinsured in the state.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Yesterday afternoon the State Legislature moved one step closer to reforming California's broken health care system. The Assembly Health Committee considered and voted on a compromise health reform package authored by Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez and Senate Pro Tem Don Perata. As we learn in this Assembly Web Report the groundbreaking Democratic health care reform legislation will provide coverage to all Californians, includes affordability provisions, reins in medical costs and guarantees coverage for people with pre-existing illnesses.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Assembly Health Committee passes Democratic leadership’s health measure, ABX1 1
• 60 witnesses testify for over three hours
• Floor vote set for week after Thanksgiving

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

For another time this year, the Assembly Health Committee Wednesday passed comprehensive health reform legislation aimed at expanding coverage to a significant swath of California’s 6.5 million uninsured. The newly reconstituted Assembly Health Committee voted on the first health reform bill of the special session, ABX1 1 (Nunez/Perata) and vowed to send the bill to its Senate counterpart by the end of the month. The bill passed on a 10-5 party-line vote.

The committee also rejected an Assembly Republican proposal, AB X1 8, which opponents said would decimate the state’s HMO Patient Bill of Rights and other consumer protections, and promote high-deductible health plans through Health Savings Accounts, leaving more people underinsured in the state.