California Legislature passes universal health minus the insurance industry - SB 840 (fwd)
Dana C. Iorio
Dana
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:59:37 -0700
From: Don Bechler <dbec...@earthlink.net>
To: Don Bechler <dbec...@earthlink.net>
Subject: California Legislature passes universal health minus the insurance
industry - SB 840
California State Legislature Passes Single Payer Health Care
Dear Healthcare Activist,
On August 31, California's State Assembly and State Senate passed Senate Bill
840, the California Universal Healthcare Act. SB 840 provides universal
healthcare minus the insurance industry. SB 840 removes the criminal health
insurance industry from our lives. The health insurance industry exists to
avoid the sick, deny claims, and pass costs on to others.
SB 840 is a bureaucracy buster as it removes the thousands of health insurance
forms that providers and patients have to deal with. SB 840 contains no
co-pays or deductibles.
Our next step is to rally in Sacramento on Monday, September 8 to demand that
the governor sign SB 840. Rally buses will be leaving from San Francisco,
Berkeley, San Jose, Stockton, Modesto, and Vallejo.
Please forward this message to anyone who may be able to attend the 11am rally.
Below is the press release from State Senator Sheila Kuehl.
__ I have forwarded this message.
Thank you.
Don Bechler
Chair - Single Payer Now
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 5108
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4023
(916) 324-4823 fax
Office of Senator Sheila Kuehl
Press Release
District Offices
10951 W. Pico Blvd., #202
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 441-0724 fax
300 W. Third Street
Oxnard, CA 93030
(805) 486-3776
(805) 486-6865 fax
California Legislature Passes Universal Health Care
Plan covers all Californians with comprehensive benefits, saves billions
for employers and individuals, and guarantees consumer choice of doctors and
hospitals
For Immediate Release:
August 31, 2008
Contact: Sara Rogers
(916) 651-4023
Sacramento - Senate Bill 840 (Kuehl), the California Universal Health Care Act,
passed a final vote in the California State Senate today and will head to the
Governor for his signature. SB 840 guarantees comprehensive health insurance
coverage to every California resident, preserves a patients' right to choose
their own doctors and hospitals, and saves consumers, employers, taxpayers, and
state and local governments millions of dollars in health insurance costs.
"California needs universal health care because the old health care system is
falling apart. SB 840 takes the money we're already spending and uses it more
efficiently to cover everyone and to invest in quality improvements," Senator
Kuehl stated. "We're wasting a third of our health care dollars on bureaucracy
because insurance companies makes the system too complicated, premiums are
skyrocketing and thousands of Californians are dying every year because of
preventable medical errors. If the Governor again fails to sign this bill, our
health care system will just continue its slide toward becoming a second world
health care system."
"With the passage of SB 840, the Governor has an opportunity to lead the way
out of the health care crisis that is devastating our families and our
economy," said Assemblyman Mark Leno, a principle co-author of the legislation.
"Our current system has driven up the cost of health care to the point where
more than 7 million Californians can't afford coverage. We must do better."
SB 840 establishes a universal public insurance plan that builds upon
California's existing private health care delivery system. SB 840 provides
comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug
coverage to every California resident. This broad coverage is made possible
through a streamlined claims and reimbursement system, which has been
repeatedly proven to save billions of dollars in administrative costs and other
wasteful spending. SB 840 also allows California to use its purchasing power
to negotiate bulk rates for prescription drugs and durable medical equipment,
such as wheelchairs.
This bill is supported by a growing network of over 200 organizations across
the state representing tens of thousands of nurses, doctors, and teachers;
counties, cities and school districts; hospitals and businesses; school
employees and medical and health profession students; community organizations
and others. For a complete list visit www.senate.ca.gov/kuehl.
