It's About Time - June 5, 2007 - Visalia, California

Almost anywhere you go today , listening to or reading media or hearing people's conversations, you encounter a discussion or report on the problems of health care or insurance, relating to both the national and local levels. One of the important reasons for this discussion is the number of uninsured in our country, that number increasing by 6.8 million since 2000, and now at about 47 million, 18% of our population. Here in California, we have about 6.5 million, 16% of our population (probably closer to 25% in our Valley).

As this issue has affected more of our populace, articles, almost daily, have appeared in most papers, both as news reports and editorials. On 5/23, the TIMES DELTA had a front-page article on Big PHARMA acting as Big Brother regarding doctors' prescriptions. And on 5/13, another area paper dedicated 2 full pages of its VISION section to a discussion of health care proposals in California.

In our state, several powerful unions, including CTA and CSEA, have come out in support of a single payer, universal health care plan as proposed in Sen. Kuehl's SB 840. They recognize that health insurance costs are the most contentious issue in negotiations, that many employers are
decreasing their coverage of employees because the costs have become so high (67% covered employees in 1995; 41%, in 2007) , and that workers are paying a larger part of premiums and will probably pay the full cost, within a few years. California's nurses union, CNA, has also
become a strong supporter of 840; Donna Gerber, Director of Government Relations, says: "...only Kuehl's universal coverage will stop the $20B wasted by the current health care system. Any other proposal is like treating a lung cancer patient with cigarette smoke." CNA has also affiliated with AFL-CIO at a national level to promote "Medicare for All."

Along with the unions' support, many businesses are taking a new stance. An article in the San Diego UNION TRIBUNE notes that "Healthcare costs for U.S. autoworkers make U.S.-built cars at least $1500 more expensive than cars from Japan. GM spends more than $5B per year on health insurance, which is more than it spends on steel." R. Wagoner, Jr., CEO of GM, said, "It is crystal clear that we need to achieve a significant reduction in our health care cost disadvantage, and to do so promptly." And it's not just large corporations calling for reform. John Hughes,
president of special effects firm Rhythm and Hues, comments, " As business leaders, each of us is committed to our employees. We want to be able to offer health benefits that show our commitment. But health care costs are out of control. .premiums have jumped 87% in the last six
years. . The solution lies in Medicare and the Medicare-for-all Californians bill, SB840, which our colleagues in business should now embrace as a model for solving California's health care woes."

Another dissident voice is that of physicians, many speaking as small businesspersons as well as doctors. Dr. Linda Halderman, of Selma, took one of the nation's biggest health insurers to small claims court for the $760 that she had spent months trying to get the insurance company
to pay. The extra effort and wasted time made her angry, and she declared, "It's a systemic, unethical business practice. It is a practice, not an error." The judge awarded her the $760 plus $40 in court costs. One Visalia physician has written, "I am in favor of a single payer plan that would eliminate the role which private insurance companies play. As a physician in practice, I daily experience frustrations, delays and denials from insurance companies while trying to see that my patients get good care. "I am a small business-person as a physician in private practice, and I cannot afford family health plans for our employees (as I was once able to do). Many doctors I know don't provide health insurance at all."

We who are for REAL reform know that we are in for a battle: Blue Cross of California opened its purse just last week to provide $2M for advertisements against health care reform. But, as Ellen Shaffer, Co-Director for the Center for Policy Analysis, comments, "Things have changed since the 1990's. We've learned through painful experience that fragmented, market-based health care plans don't work. Our system costs more and more as we cover fewer and fewer."

Recognizing the dire need for health care reform, Health Care for All held an event on 6/5 from 5:30-8:30 at the Main and Garden Street Plaza. Through speakers, printed material, and a fine DVD documentary, we showed that it's about time for SB840, the best of several proposed reforms now before our legislators.

For more information, call Bill Decker 734-1805 or Gary Gray 280-2379, Co-directors of HCA