HEALTH CARE REFORM: CAN WE PASS THE FINAL HURDLE? OCT. 20 IN SAN DIEGO
Printer-friendly version September 27, 2009 (San Diego) – Want to learn more about healthcare reform options? San Diego’s League of Women Voters presents a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Gerald Kominski, Ph.D., professor at UCLA School of Public Health and Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Dr. Jeoffrey Gordon from California Physicians Alliance will also speak, summarizing the political climate for healthcare reform in Congress. The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel, 1960 Harbor Island Drive in San Diego. Cost is $25 for LWV members, $30 for nonmembers. Co-sponsors include California Physicians Alliance, Center on Policy Initiatives, California School Employees Association, First Unitarian Universalist Church of SD, and the Older Women’s League. To reserve space, mail a check to LWVSD, 4901 Morena Blvd., #104, San Diego 92117. Call (858)483-8696 with questions. Reservations should be received by Oct. 13 for the Oct. 20 event. Printer-friendly version
WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT HEALTHCARE MAY HURT YOU
Printer-friendly version Ex-Senator Kuehl Leads New Effort to Win Healthcare for All Californians By Miriam Raftery September 27, 2009 (San Diego) –Speaking to the San Diego League of Women Voters last week, former state Senator Sheila Kuehl shared some startling facts: California law used to require insurance companies to be nonprofits. Since that law changed, premiums have skyrocketed much faster than costs of medical care. Iinsurers are routinely refusing to pay doctors for services—forcing doctors to spend $78 million a year suing insurance companies, according to the American Medical Association. Insurers are canceling policies when people get sick, claiming applications were filled out wrong. Many are refusing to sell policies (or canceling existing ones) due to pre-existing conditions—even toe fungus or use of asthma inhalers years ago. Kuehl authored two bills passed by the California Legislature which would have provided healthcare for all Californians—including dental, eyecare and medical coverage. But both were “terminated” with vetoes by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now a statewide coalition has launched a campaign to win public support for a new single-payer healthcare bill in California. View the video. A similar bill, SB 810 by Assemblyman Leno, has been introduced in the Legislature, but stands little chance of becoming law unless a candidate who supports healthcare for all is elected next fall. Schwarzenegger also vetoed six bills that would have required prohibited insurance companies from cancelling coverage when people get sick. Kuehl, leader of the single payer healthcare movement in California spoke, at a September 22 meeting sponsored by the League of Women Voters in San Diego. Kuehl’s topic: “What’s so great about single payer?” Kuehl left office due to term limits, but continues to be a vocal spokesperson championing single-payer healthcare—a system similar to Medicare. “After I became Medicare-qualified, I really understood the value of a single-payer system,” she said. “I was relieved, unlike my parents who were told by private insurance, `You’re 65, you can’t buy insurance. You don’t qualify.’” Not only is the cost of insurance premiums rising, but the quality of coverage is shrinking. “People don’t understand that your coverage is actually dropping,” she said, noting that insurers bury such info in voluminous notices to policy holders. Meanwhile, more than 25% of the money you pay for premiums is spent on overhead, Kuehl said. Single-payer health insurance collects all medical fees and then pays for all services through a single government (or government-related) source. Single-payer goes beyond the Obama administration’s healthcare reform proposal, which would give consumers a choice between keeping their existing private insurance or signing up for a public option. Medicare and healthcare provided through the Veterans Administration are two examples of single-payer systems. Many European nations also have single-payer healthcare. Virtually all developed nations in the world provide some form of healthcare for all citizens, except for the U.S. Not all have single-payer systems, however. In some, private insurance companies are part of the mix—but abuses that occur in America are outlawed. “In Switzerland and France, you can choose private insurance if you want,” Kuehl noted, citing two examples. “But it is very, very highly regulated. Insurance companies must be not-for-profits.” In addition, private insurers must cover everything covered under the public plan, at minimum, and must also provide service at least as quickly as under the public option. France is ranked number one worldwide in terms of healthcare outcomes, according to the World Health Organization. “They way European countries look at healthcare is that it’s a responsibility,” said Kuehl, adding that people in Europe can’t understand why some Americans don’t believe that healthcare should be a right for everyone. “We have set such a bad example, they look at the U.S. and say `Let’s not become like America.’” In trying to persuade Schwarzenegger to sign her bill, she reminded him that her single-payer proposal is “like you had in Austria.” The bills were backed by numerous organizations including California Nurses Association (which drew attention to Schwarzenegger’s opposition with stunts such as flying a plane towing a banner over an outdoor event hosted by the Governor) . The Governor responded vindictively, recalls Kuehl, who has authored 171 bills that were signed into law in her 12-year legislative career. “Last year, he was mad at me and vetoed all 22 of my bills in one day,” she said. Kuehl had to remove funding from the bill and instead add language to set up a blue ribbon commission to determine the best means of paying for single-payer, even though she estimates it would save the state money. “The bill has to have no money in it, because it never gets a Republican vote,” she said. In California, any money requiring spending must pass the Legislature by a 2/3 margin – an impossibility without at least a few Republican votes. “In the Republican party, they truly believe that government is not the answer,” she explained, quoting GOP strategist Grover Norquist’s famous call to shrink government to where you can drown it in a bathtub. “Frankly, I think that’s what Arnold is doing,” she said. “He cut $500 million in the last round of budget cuts,” she added, noting that the cuts hurt poor people and have closed shelters for victims of domestic violence. Republicans, however, have voted as a block to oppose every bill that would increase state revenues, even modest increases in taxes on yacht sales and cigarettes. Republican candidates for Governor have voiced opposition to universal healthcare proposals, including single payer. East County Magazine recently asked two potential Democratic contenders for Governor, Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown, if they would sign healthcare for all Californians bills that Schwarzenegger ha vetoed which would have guaranteed universal healthcare to every man, woman and child in California including medical, dental, mental health and eyecare coverage. “I’m the only mayor of a city with universal healthcare,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who chairs a task force on healthcare reform for
FREE POETRY WORKSHOPS: “BULLETS OUTTA GUNS” IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly version Jim Moreno is currently initiating a poetry workshop afterschool program at the UPAKA Center (Urban Performing Arts & Creative Arts Center) in La Mesa, California entitled "Bullets Outta Guns". Jim believes that when adults provide afterschool art or sports programs and 10 children show up, 20 bullets are removed from guns: 10 bullets from police revolvers and 10 more from gang guns. The free workshops meet Tuesdays from 4-5:30 p.m. at the UPACA Center (Urban Performing Arts and Creative Arts Center) at 6875 El Cajon Blvd. Future guest poets include Gilllsotu, Michael Klam, Jerrica Escoto, Jihmye Collis, Philly Phil, Matt Diaz, Tomas Gayton, and more. Participants in this hands on workshop will enjoy a structure of three parts: Jim Moreno’s teaching shared at times with a guest poet from hip hop, music,or the local poetry scene, writing an original poem, and reading the poem. Student poems will be published online at http://www.jimpoet.com/index.html. Join Jim Moreno for a full force writing, microphone skills, and poetry performance workshop on such subjects as peace, racism, injustice, and oppression. Participants are invited to “ resonate with the legacy of Langston Hughes as you write in community nd share your art with workshop participants.” Hughes has been described as a Harlem Renaissance poet. Moreno is a member of San Diego’s Langston Hughes Poetry Circle and a past board member of the African American Writers & Artists. He teaches poetry workshops for gang youth in lockups, children in afterschool programs, and adults who are beginning or practiced poets. He has been published in City Works, The Langston Hughes Poetry Anthology, The Magee Park Poets Anthology, the poetry conspiracy, Tidepools, and others. He performs with The Three Deuces, a jazz trumpet, dance, and spoken word ensemble with Mitch Manker and Michael Tompkins. He was the director of the Encanto Boys and Girls Club Children’s Poetry Choir from September of 2004 to June of 2009. For more information, call (760) 802-2449 Printer-friendly version