Press Release

FOR RELEASE:  8/28/06 5:00 PM                            CONTACT:  Andrew McGuire, Executive Director, HCA-CA

                                                                                    Phone: 888 442 4255

 UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE ADVOCATES CALL FOR IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE OF SB 840(KUEHL)

            Supporters of the OneCareNow Campaign, a 10-year statewide effort to secure universal health insurance for all Californians, are celebrating the legislature's historic passage on Monday, August 28, of Senate Bill 840, authored by Senator Sheila Kuehl. They're now calling on Governor Schwarzenegger to sign the bill.

This landmark legislation, if signed and funded, will provide comprehensive health and dental insurance to all residents of California.  The nearly 7 million residents who are uninsured, and the millions more who are underinsured, will benefit from the nation's first universal health insurance system.  Californians who are adequately insured will, on average, pay less for their coverage.

"The Governor's signature on this ground-breaking legislation will make California the first state in the nation to join the rest of the industrialized world in providing health care for everyone," stated Andrew McGuire, Executive Director of Health Care for All - California.  "And, according to independent research, California taxpayers will pay less for more coverage once we institute a 'medicare for all ages' system," McGuire added.

The OneCareNow Campaign has created a 20 minute video that explains the benefits of the system proposed in SB 840.  Copies of the video are available for the media from press@onecarenow.org.

OneCareNow volunteers have just launched a massive campaign of community awareness and education across the state. They are staging "activism" events, one each day, in a different city, for 365 days in a row.  The first event was in Morro Bay on August 12, 2006, and the last day will be in Los Angeles on August 12, 2007.  On August 19, 2007, there will be a massive Rally for universal health insurance in Sacramento.  The purpose of the Rally will be to promote the passage of SB 840 funding and to make sure legislators fulfill their promise to provide health insurance for all Californians.

For the date of your city event, go to www.onecarenow.org.

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A Project of Health Care for All - California
Main Office: Andrew McGuire, Executive Director, HCA-CA, San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco CA 94110; (888)442-4255;email: amcquire@onecarenow.org