Sylvia@CaliforniaOneCare.org

In more than one-third of states, people can be sent to jail if they can’t or won’t pay outstanding debts. Though California does place burdensome penalties on some debtors, the state isn’t as extreme as Illinois. As far as I know, there aren’t any cases here in the Golden State of people in jail for medical debt, thank goodness. But the fact that anywhere in this country, people are still being penalized for being poor makes America’s insistence that it is the “greatest country in the world” ring hollow. A truly great country does not put people in jail for debts, medical or otherwise. And a truly great country provides health coverage for all its people, making headlines like “Breast Cancer Survivor Jailed for Unpaid $280 Medical Bill” non-existent.

Sylvia@CaliforniaOneCare.org

insightoutnews:

Univision 34:

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

This Sunday Afternoon in Santa Monica:

THE STATE OF HEALTHCARE

2012 AND BEYOND

With

California’s Insurance Commissioner DAVE JONES
California OneCare’s ANDREW MCGUIRE
Consumer Watchdog’s CARMEN BALBER

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2 – 4:30pm

William Turner Gallery, Bergamot Station

2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica

FREE ADMISSION, FREE PARKING & REFRESHMENTS

Dear OneCare Supporters,

California OneCare supporters are cordially invited to this special PPDC* event, an informative discussion on the state of healthcare reform today, including the latest on the Affordable Care Act of 2010, California’s Single Payer movement, and information on a critical ballot initiative for controlling health insurance rate increases.

Our own Andrew McGuire will discuss next steps for single payer legislation in Sacramento and cover key strategies developed by California’s coaltion for single payer, Campaign for A Healthy California. There will be a Q & A session following the three presentations.

We thank Susan Haskell, and the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club for their unwavering support of California’s health care reform movement.

Sincerely,

George Savage, Secretary, Board of Directors, California OneCare

Angry activists pointed to the fact that five of the six errant Democrats had received money from the insurance industry and Big Pharma, ranging from $100,000 to over $250,000. Three of the six senators had been endorsed by the California Labor Federation which, along with unions such as the Service Employees and AFSCME, was on record supporting the single-payer bill. The California Democratic Party was also on record supporting it.

Similar bills passed the legislature fairly easily in 2006 and 2008, only to be vetoed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. At a time when premiums were rising and there were few other proposals out there, it was an easy vote for Democrats certain of the governor’s veto.

But when Congress passed federal health reform in 2010, defending that bill, as well as President Obama, became paramount for many Democrats. It became more difficult for legislators to vote for a single-payer bill that might be interpreted as deserting the president, and the Democratic leadership refused to put the bill up for a final vote in the Assembly.

Read more here.

The California Senate was only two votes short of passing SB 810 last week. But six Democrats refused to support the bill when it was put to a vote in the California Senate. You may have been one of the thousands of Californians who called these senators urging them to change their minds and vote for the people of California. You showed them what real democracy looks like. They didn’t listen.

It turns out their allegiance was not to us, their constituents.
It was to those who are profiting from our current broken health care system.

Follow the Money

*Insurance Industry may include auto, life and other insurance

Together, you and I and others like us can turn this around.

Go to the ACT! page on the California OneCare website to see how you can get involved in building a movement for single payer that cannot be ignored. There you will find activities, materials and projects to help educate people in your community about single payer, raise money for the campaign, plan actions with friends, and get endorsements from your community leaders.

Let’s reach every Californian with the message that a single payer health care system will give all of us access to the health care we need at a cost we can all afford.

Become a monthly donor and help us to help you spread the word!

Over the next months we will continue to improve our website. We need your help to become a fully interactive site that will allow supporters like you to communicate and plan activities with others in your community. Your monthly contribution in whatever amount you choose will help make this happen.

Thank you for your continuing support for single payer and our work.

Sincerely,

Jeanne Ertle
Vice Chair, California OneCare

The Campaign for a Healthy California on Wednesday denounced the failure of the California Senate to pass SB 810, the California Universal Care Act. The bill died when it remained two votes short of passage.

Democrats fell short of previous levels of support, which successfully passed similar bills through the legislature twice before, only to be vetoed by then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. This year 19 voted in favor of the bill, two against, and four abstaining in spite of intensive efforts at persuasion by grassroots proponents. The bill received no support from Republicans.

…

CHC member organizations spoke out against the disappointing vote, “Nurses will not give up on winning guaranteed universal healthcare, like SB 810” stated DeAnn McEwen, RN, Co-President of the California Nurses Association, “because we will not abandon our patients who need this vital reform.”

In other words, the movement for universal access to health care in California will not be deterred by a few short sighted lawmakers. At a time like this, I like to think of Ghandi’s famous quote: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

The vote was: 19 YES, 15 NO (including Dem. Calderon and Dem. Correa) and 6 ABSTAIN (which is actually a NO vote and included Dems. Padilla, Vargas, Wright and Rubio).

We have two immediate tasks: first, thank our author of SB 810, Sen. Leno, for his efforts (the legislation was not supposed to pass the Appropriations Committee!) and thank Sen. Steinberg for his assistance in getting the bill to the Senate Floor; and, second, call the 6 Senators who voted against SB 810 and give them a piece of your mind.

Lastly, California OneCare will be recommending “next steps” for the campaign in the very near future.  We are meeting with our coalition partners on Friday and will communicate to you a united strategy in the following days.

Thank you for all your help.  Without your help, the legislation would have never gone as far as the Senate Floor.  Again, wait for our suggestions for future advocacy plans.  I think you’ll be surprised because we are getting real tired of the Democrats In Name Only stopping life saving legislation:  it’s now time to take it to a new level.  Stay tuned!

Andrew McGuire
Executive Director

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org