CSEA Chapter 767

Senate Bill 840 (Kuehl), the California Universal Health Care Act, has been approved by the state legislature and is on its way to the Governor’s desk. You may recall that Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation two years ago, but that doesn’t mean universal health care is a lost cause. In fact, it is more critical than ever!

Health insurance costs are growing 2-3 times faster than workers’ wages every year, and many employers are now reducing coverage and dropping benefits altogether. Half of all bankruptcies in the United States are related to medical costs and three-quarters of those bankrupted families had health insurance at the time they became ill or injured. The simple truth is that average Californians can no longer rely on their health insurance when they become ill or insured.

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,” says State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, author of the bill. “SB 840 takes the money we’re already spending and uses it more efficiently to cover everyone and to invest in quality improvements. If the governor again fails to sign this bill, our healthcare system will just continue its slide toward becoming a second world healthcare system.”

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 medical equipment.

CSEA is among the growing network of more than 200 organizations across the state that support SB 840. The bill, which has passed the state legislature twice, is supported by tens of thousands of nurses, doctors, and teachers, medical and health professionals, students community organizations and others.

Now it’s time for Gov. Schwarzenegger to join us. Send him a letter today and urge him to sign SB 840 into law!

http://members.csea.com/memberHome/Issues/PoliticalAction/CapitolConnection/tabid/392/Default.aspx