California OneCare » Mark Leno http://californiaonecare.org Campaign For SB 810 – Single Payer Universal Health Care Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:58:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 SB 810 Killed on the California Senate Floor http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-killed-on-the-california-senate-floor/ http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-killed-on-the-california-senate-floor/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:03:37 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=9299 Andrew McGuire Executive Director  ]]> Today SB 810, “Medicare for All” single payer legislation, was killed on the California Senate Floor.

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

 

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-killed-on-the-california-senate-floor/feed/ 2 URGENT: YES Votes Needed For SB 810 http://californiaonecare.org/urgent-yes-votes-needed-for-sb-810/ http://californiaonecare.org/urgent-yes-votes-needed-for-sb-810/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:51:26 +0000 admin http://californiaonecare.org/?p=9097 Demand a YES Vote for Single-Payer SB 810 In Tuesday's Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing PLEASE CALL, FAX AND WRITE YOUR SENATOR -- BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY! California's landmark single payer bill, SB 810, authored by Senator Mark Leno, is now scheduled to be heard in the Senate Appropriations committee on January 17th in Sacramento. The bill must pass this committee and pass a Senate floor vote before the end of January in order to then be considered in the Assembly. Your help is urgently needed to write and call your State Senator and urge him/her to vote for SB 810. If SB 810 fails to pass Appropriations committee and the Senate floor, it can’t be heard again until it is re-introduced in 2013! PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION: Call AND send a fax AND a written letter (emails don't usually get through) to your State Senator’s Sacramento office, urging his/her support of SB 810. If you do not know who your Senator is, find your district here. It is especially important to call and write your Senator if he or she is a member of the Senate Appropriations committee: District 6 Darrell Steinberg (916) 651-4006 Fax: (916) 323-2263 District 13 Elaine Alquist (916) 651-4013 Fax: (916) 324-0283 District 17 Sharon Runner (916) 651-4017 Fax: (916) 445-4662 District 23 Fran Pavley (916) 651-4023 Fax: (916) 324-4823 District 26 Curren Price (916) 651-4026 Fax: (916) 445-8899 District 28 Ted Lieu (916) 651-4028 Fax: (916) 323-6056 District 33 Mimi Walters (916) 651-4033 Fax: (916) 445-9754 District 37 Bill Emmerson (916) 651-4037 Fax: (916) 327-2187 District 39 Christine Kehoe (916) 651-4039 Fax: (916) 327-2188]]> Demand a YES Vote

for Single-Payer SB 810 In Tuesday’s

Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing

PLEASE CALL, FAX AND WRITE YOUR SENATOR — BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY!

California’s landmark single payer bill, SB 810, authored by Senator Mark Leno, is now scheduled to be heard in the Senate Appropriations committee on January 17th in Sacramento. The bill must pass this committee and pass a Senate floor vote before the end of January in order to then be considered in the Assembly. Your help is urgently needed to write and call your State Senator and urge him/her to vote for SB 810.

If SB 810 fails to pass Appropriations committee and the Senate floor, it can’t be heard again until it is re-introduced in 2013!

PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION:

Call AND send a fax AND a written letter (emails don’t usually get through) to your State Senator’s Sacramento office, urging his/her support of SB 810. If you do not know who your Senator is, find your district here.

It is especially important to call and write your Senator if he or she is a member of the Senate Appropriations committee:

District 6      Darrell Steinberg    (916) 651-4006    Fax: (916) 323-2263
District 13    Elaine Alquist         (916) 651-4013    Fax: (916) 324-0283
District 17    Sharon Runner       (916) 651-4017    Fax: (916) 445-4662
District 23    Fran Pavley             (916) 651-4023    Fax: (916) 324-4823
District 26    Curren Price            (916) 651-4026    Fax: (916) 445-8899
District 28    Ted Lieu                   (916) 651-4028    Fax: (916) 323-6056
District 33    Mimi Walters           (916) 651-4033    Fax: (916) 445-9754
District 37    Bill Emmerson        (916) 651-4037    Fax: (916) 327-2187
District 39    Christine Kehoe      (916) 651-4039    Fax: (916) 327-2188

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/urgent-yes-votes-needed-for-sb-810/feed/ 0 SB 810 Passes Senate Health Committee http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-passes-senate-health-committee/ http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-passes-senate-health-committee/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 19:43:46 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7840 In addition, hundreds of single payer supporters descended upon the Capitol in Sacramento to attend the hearing. Leno's office released the following statement after the vote:
“California is being overrun by out-of-control health care costs, which has a significant impact on the state budget, businesses and families,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “Our single payer plan not only guarantees universal coverage for all Californians, but also contains health care costs, which is essential to solving our state budget crisis in the long term.” SB 810 creates a private-public partnership to provide every California resident medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug benefits and allows patients to choose their own doctors and hospitals. This single payer, “Medicare for All” type of program works by pooling together the money that government, employers and individuals already spend on health care and putting it to better use by cutting out the for-profit middle man. “We must continue to fight for healthcare for every Californian,” said DeAnn McEwen, President of the California Nurses Association and a nurse at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. “Federal reform does not insure that all Californians will receive the care they need. President Obama noted that if states come up with a better plan, they could move forward. Californians deserve the best. Senate Bill 810 will provide every Californian with an excellent standard of care, improve health outcomes, and finally get healthcare costs under control.” California currently spends $200 billion annually on a fragmented, inefficient health care system that wastes 30% of every dollar on administration. Under Senate Bill 810, that wasteful spending is eliminated. The bill creates no new spending, and in fact, studies show that the state would save $8 billion in the first year under this single-payer health care plan. "Most doctors support a public-private partnership like Medicare, but with everybody covered, better benefits, and lower costs,” said Dr. Henry L. Abrons, president of Physicians for a National Health Program, California Chapter. “We need to spend our precious resources wisely. Federal reform won't accomplish these things, but SB 810 will." "Health Care for All realizes that the only way to provide better health care for absolutely everyone, for less money than we're now spending, and control rising costs, is to pass a bill like SB 810 and then make the necessary changes to finance it,” said Greg Brockbank, chair of Health Care for All, California. “We stand ready to do our part in making that happen, and then to help successfully implement it."
SB 810 will now move forward to the Senate Appropriations Committee. It's imperative that we keep calling and writing our legislators so we can get the bill through the entire Senate a fourth time, then on to the Assembly, and finally to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. Along with Vermont - which is poised to pass its own single payer bill - we have the chance to show the rest of the country that single payer works, and is the best and most fiscally responsible way to solve our healthcare crisis. Full care for all, for less! To find your state Senator, click on this link. To find your Assemblymember, click this link. Sylvia@californiaonecare.org]]> Facing possible extinction for the first time in four years, the single payer bill SB 810 pulled through, passing the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday on a 5-3 vote, state Sen. Mark Leno’s office reported. Up until a couple of days ago, committee chair Sen. Ed Hernandez had been undecided, putting the bill in jeopardy. But intense pressure from single payer advocates across the state and a massive phone campaign finally secured a “yes” vote from Hernandez. In addition, hundreds of single payer supporters descended upon the Capitol in Sacramento to attend the hearing.

Leno’s office released the following statement after the vote:

“California is being overrun by out-of-control health care costs, which has a significant impact on the state budget, businesses and families,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “Our single payer plan not only guarantees universal coverage for all Californians, but also contains health care costs, which is essential to solving our state budget crisis in the long term.”

SB 810 creates a private-public partnership to provide every California resident medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug benefits and allows patients to choose their own doctors and hospitals. This single payer, “Medicare for All” type of program works by pooling together the money that government, employers and individuals already spend on health care and putting it to better use by cutting out the for-profit middle man.

“We must continue to fight for healthcare for every Californian,” said DeAnn McEwen, President of the California Nurses Association and a nurse at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. “Federal reform does not insure that all Californians will receive the care they need. President Obama noted that if states come up with a better plan, they could move forward. Californians deserve the best. Senate Bill 810 will provide every Californian with an excellent standard of care, improve health outcomes, and finally get healthcare costs under control.”

California currently spends $200 billion annually on a fragmented, inefficient health care system that wastes 30% of every dollar on administration. Under Senate Bill 810, that wasteful spending is eliminated. The bill creates no new spending, and in fact, studies show that the state would save $8 billion in the first year under this single-payer health care plan.

“Most doctors support a public-private partnership like Medicare, but with everybody covered, better benefits, and lower costs,” said Dr. Henry L. Abrons, president of Physicians for a National Health Program, California Chapter. “We need to spend our precious resources wisely. Federal reform won’t accomplish these things, but SB 810 will.”

“Health Care for All realizes that the only way to provide better health care for absolutely everyone, for less money than we’re now spending, and control rising costs, is to pass a bill like SB 810 and then make the necessary changes to finance it,” said Greg Brockbank, chair of Health Care for All, California. “We stand ready to do our part in making that happen, and then to help successfully implement it.”

SB 810 will now move forward to the Senate Appropriations Committee. It’s imperative that we keep calling and writing our legislators so we can get the bill through the entire Senate a fourth time, then on to the Assembly, and finally to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. Along with Vermont – which is poised to pass its own single payer bill – we have the chance to show the rest of the country that single payer works, and is the best and most fiscally responsible way to solve our healthcare crisis. Full care for all, for less!

To find your state Senator, click on this link. To find your Assemblymember, click this link.

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-passes-senate-health-committee/feed/ 3 Sen. Mark Leno Addresses SB 810 Supporters in Sacramento http://californiaonecare.org/sen-mark-leno-addresses-sb-810-supporters-in-sacramento/ http://californiaonecare.org/sen-mark-leno-addresses-sb-810-supporters-in-sacramento/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 00:21:58 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7834 Sylvia@californiaonecare.org]]> State Sen. Mark Leno speaks to single payer supporters this morning before SB 810 is heard at the Senate Health Committee hearing:

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/sen-mark-leno-addresses-sb-810-supporters-in-sacramento/feed/ 0 California State Senators Urged to Back SB 810 http://californiaonecare.org/california-state-senators-urged-to-back-sb-810/ http://californiaonecare.org/california-state-senators-urged-to-back-sb-810/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 02:14:19 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7799 Democracy for America, has sent out an alert to its membership calling on them to flood Hernandez and Rubio's offices with phone calls:
On Tuesday the Vermont Senate passed a bill that puts the Green Mountain State on the path to a single-payer health care system, and next week California's Senate Health Committee has the same opportunity on May 4th. However, two Democratic senators could keep it from passing. We've come too far for this bill to fail now. Can you call them and ask them to vote yes? The Chair of the Health Committee, Senator Ed Hernandez, who voted for the single-payer bill as an Assemblymember is undecided. Call him now and tell him that a 'yes' vote is a vote for California's future. Even if you don't live in his district the stakes are too high and he needs to hear from you. You can reach his Sacramento office at: (916) 651-4024 After your call, click here to let us know if he's decided how he will vote. Newly elected Senator Michael Rubio represents the same district as former State Senate Majority Leader, Dean Florez, who co-sponsored the bill the last time it was introduced, but Senator Rubio says he will oppose this legislation. Can you call Senator Rubio right now and tell him that his constituents want a single-payer system? His Sacramento office number is: (916) 651-4016 Then let us know what his office says about how he will vote. The California Democratic Party includes a single-payer plan in its platform. We are counting on these Democrats to vote with their party. California is counting on these Senators to vote the right way -- it's a moral imperative to provide Californians with the care they need. Thanks for everything you do. - Kaili Kaili Lambe, Political Campaign Manager Democracy for America
Hernandez's office wouldn't say what would make him vote "yes." According to Rubio's office, the Senator thinks the federal Affordable Care Act is enough to solve California's healthcare crisis. The truth is, unlike SB 810, the federal reform law won't cover all Californians, and it won't do enough to control costs. The ACA leaves in place the unsustainable profit-driven healthcare system, and will continue to burden taxpayers. Rubio represents the same district as former state Senate Majority Leader, Dean Florez, who had been a co-sponsor of the bill when it was introduced. Hernandez's wavering and Rubio's brush off smell a lot like the work of insurance industry meddling. Meanwhile, SB 810 got a much needed shout out at last weekend's California Democratic Party State Convention in Sacramento. Sunday's general session, which I attended, featured a parade of speeches by various state party officials. Then, California Democratic Council President Henry Vandermeir got to the podium and addressed the delegates with news that a longtime party activist had recently died because he didn't have health insurance. (The CDC is a statewide association of Democratic clubs and party county committees.) Vandermeir next proceeded to chastise Hernandez and Rubio for potentially killing SB810, and urged the delegates - several hundred strong in the auditorium - to call the lawmakers and tell them to vote in favor of SB 810. Single payer came up in several speeches during the two-day general session - most notably from keynote speaker, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. But the fate of SB 810 was not mentioned until Vandermeir brought it up that Sunday afternoon. I didn't see his heartfelt endorsement coming, so what a pleasant and most welcome surprise. Sylvia@californiaonecare.org]]> Pressure is building on two Democratic state Senators on the Senate Health Committee to get them to change their minds on the single payer healthcare bill, SB 810. The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the committee this Wednesday after being postponed from last week. Committee chairperson Sen. Ed Hernandez (Los Angeles) is publicly saying he has not decided how he will vote on the bill, while Sen. Michael Rubio (Fresno) has said he will vote “no.” If Hernandez also votes no, SB 810 will have died in the state Senate for the first time after having successfully passed the chamber the last three years. Last year, SB 810, sponsored by San Francisco-area state Sen. Mike Leno, passed the state Senate, but died in the Assembly.

The liberal grassroots advocacy group, Democracy for America, has sent out an alert to its membership calling on them to flood Hernandez and Rubio’s offices with phone calls:

On Tuesday the Vermont Senate passed a bill that puts the Green Mountain State on the path to a single-payer health care system, and next week California’s Senate Health Committee has the same opportunity on May 4th. However, two Democratic senators could keep it from passing.

We’ve come too far for this bill to fail now. Can you call them and ask them to vote yes?

The Chair of the Health Committee, Senator Ed Hernandez, who voted for the single-payer bill as an Assemblymember is undecided. Call him now and tell him that a ‘yes’ vote is a vote for California’s future. Even if you don’t live in his district the stakes are too high and he needs to hear from you. You can reach his Sacramento office at: (916) 651-4024

After your call, click here to let us know if he’s decided how he will vote.

Newly elected Senator Michael Rubio represents the same district as former State Senate Majority Leader, Dean Florez, who co-sponsored the bill the last time it was introduced, but Senator Rubio says he will oppose this legislation. Can you call Senator Rubio right now and tell him that his constituents want a single-payer system? His Sacramento office number is: (916) 651-4016

Then let us know what his office says about how he will vote.

The California Democratic Party includes a single-payer plan in its platform. We are counting on these Democrats to vote with their party. California is counting on these Senators to vote the right way — it’s a moral imperative to provide Californians with the care they need.

Thanks for everything you do.

- Kaili

Kaili Lambe, Political Campaign Manager
Democracy for America

Hernandez’s office wouldn’t say what would make him vote “yes.” According to Rubio’s office, the Senator thinks the federal Affordable Care Act is enough to solve California’s healthcare crisis. The truth is, unlike SB 810, the federal reform law won’t cover all Californians, and it won’t do enough to control costs. The ACA leaves in place the unsustainable profit-driven healthcare system, and will continue to burden taxpayers.

Rubio represents the same district as former state Senate Majority Leader, Dean Florez, who had been a co-sponsor of the bill when it was introduced. Hernandez’s wavering and Rubio’s brush off smell a lot like the work of insurance industry meddling.

Meanwhile, SB 810 got a much needed shout out at last weekend’s California Democratic Party State Convention in Sacramento. Sunday’s general session, which I attended, featured a parade of speeches by various state party officials. Then, California Democratic Council President Henry Vandermeir got to the podium and addressed the delegates with news that a longtime party activist had recently died because he didn’t have health insurance. (The CDC is a statewide association of Democratic clubs and party county committees.) Vandermeir next proceeded to chastise Hernandez and Rubio for potentially killing SB810, and urged the delegates – several hundred strong in the auditorium – to call the lawmakers and tell them to vote in favor of SB 810.

Single payer came up in several speeches during the two-day general session – most notably from keynote speaker, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. But the fate of SB 810 was not mentioned until Vandermeir brought it up that Sunday afternoon. I didn’t see his heartfelt endorsement coming, so what a pleasant and most welcome surprise.

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/california-state-senators-urged-to-back-sb-810/feed/ 1 SB 810 To Be Heard in Senate Health Committee April 27 – Contact Your Senator! http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-to-be-heard-in-senate-health-committee-april-27-contact-your-senator/ http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-to-be-heard-in-senate-health-committee-april-27-contact-your-senator/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:28:29 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7687 Pass SB 810 NOW!! Click here for contact information]]> On April 27, the Senate Health Committee of the California State Legislature is scheduled to hear the single payer bill, SB 810. Sen. Mark Leno, SB 810′s sponsor, re-introduced the bill in February. SB 810 successfully passed both the State Senate and the Assembly during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tenure as governor, but on the third try last year, the bill got stalled in the Assembly.

We need the fourth time to be a charm. Gov. Jerry Brown and our state representatives need to hear from all of us that every Californian deserves equal access to quality, affordable medical care. They need to know that we are sick and tired of insurance companies taking more and more of our hard-earned money just to satisfy their insatiable greed. They must know that no one should be allowed to profit from people who are sick. We must tell them that the federal health reform law is not good enough. We must flood the offices of Gov. Brown and our lawmakers with a clear message:  Pass SB 810 NOW!!

Gov. Jerry Brown

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160

If you don’t know who your Senator is, go to http://www.senate.ca.gov/%7Enewsen/senators/districtmaps.HTP and click on the link, “Your Senator,” on the left hand side of the page.

The state Senate has a number of new members, listed below, who need to hear from their constituents about supporting SB 810. If any of these is your Senator, please contact him or her.

Democrats

Noreen Evans (District 2 – Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Solano)

State Capitol, Room 4034, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4002; Fax: (916) 323-6958 Email: senator.evans@senate.ca.gov
710 E Street, Suite 150, Eureka, CA 95501 Telephone: (707) 445-6508
50 D Street, Suite 150, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Telephone: (707) 576-2771
1040 Main Street, Suite 205, Napa, CA 94559 Telephone: (707) 224-1990
444 Georgia Street, Vallejo, CA 94590 Telephone: (707) 648-5913

Kevin De Leon (District 22 – Los Angeles)

State Capitol, Room 5108, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4022;Fax (916)327-8817
Email: senator.deleón@senate.ca.gov
617 S. Olive Street, Suite 710, Los Angeles, CA 90014 Telephone: (213) 612-9566

Ed Hernandez (District 24 – Los Angeles)

State Capitol, Room 4085, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4024; Fax: (916) 445-0485
Email: senator.hernandez@senate.ca.gov
149 South Mednik Avenue, Suite 202, Los Angeles, CA 90022 Telephone: (323) 881-0100
14403 E. Pacific Avenue, #327, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 Telephone: (626) 337-2760

Ted Lieu (District 28 – Los Angeles)

State Capitol, Room 5114, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4028
2512 Artesia Blvd, Suite 200, Redondo Beach, CA 90278 Telephone: (310) 318-6994

Michael Rubio (District 16 – Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern)

State Capitol, Room 2066, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4016; Fax: (916) 327-5989
Email: senator.rubio@senate.ca.gov
2550 Mariposa Hall, Suite 2016, Fresno, CA 93721 Telephone: (559) 264-3070
1800 30th Street, Suite 350, Bakersfield, CA 93301 Telephone: (661) 395-2620

Juan Vargas (District 40 – Riverside, Imperial, San Diego)

State Capitol, Room 3092, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4040; Fax: (916) 327-3522
Email: senator.vargas@senate.ca.gov
637 3rd Avenue, Suite A-1, Chula Vista, CA 91910 Telephone: (619) 409-7690
53-990 Enterprise Way, Suite 14, Coachella, CA 92236 Telephone (760) 398-6442
1224 State Street, Suite C, El Centro, CA 92243 Telephone (760) 335-3442
Republicans

Joel Anderson (District 36 – San Diego, Riverside)

State Capitol, Room 2054, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4036
Email: senator.anderson@senate.ca.gov
27555 Ynez Road, Suite 204, Temecula, CA 92591 Telephone: (951) 676-1020
1870 Cordell Court, Suite 107, El Cajon, CA 92020 Telephone: (619) 596-3136

Tom Berryhill (District 14 – Fresno, Madera, Mariposa)

State Capitol, Room 3076, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4014
Email: senator.berryhill@senate.ca.gov
4974 E. Clinton Way, Suite 100, Fresno, CA 93727 Telephone: (559) 253-7122
1308 W. Main Street, Suite C, Ripon, CA 95366 Telephone: (209) 599-8540

Anthony Cannella (District 12 – Stanislaus, Merced)

State Capitol, Room 3048, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4012
Email: senator.canella@senate.ca.gov
1231 8th Street, Suite 175, Modesto, CA 95354 Telephone: (209) 577-6592
1640 N Street, Suite 210, Merced, CA 95340 Telephone: (209) 726-5495
369 Main Street, #208, Salinas, CA 93901 Telephone: (831) 769-8040

Jean Fuller (District 18 – Inyo, Tulare, Kern, San Bernardino)

State Capitol, Room 3063, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4018
Email: senator.fuller@senate.ca.gov
5001 California Avenue, Ste 105, Bakersfield, CA 93309 Telephone: (661) 323-0443

Doug LaMalfa (District 4 – Del Norte, Siskiyou, Trinity, Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Yuba, Sutter, Nevada, Placer)

State Capitol, Room 3070, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4004; Fax: (916) 445-7750
Email: senator.lamalfa@senate.ca.gov
200 Providence Mine Road, Suite 108, Nevada City, CA 95959 Telephone: (530) 470-1846
2967 Davison Court, Suite A-1, Colusa, CA 95932 Telephone: (530) 458-4161
411 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Chico, CA 95928 Telephone: (530) 895-6088
2400 Washington Avenue, Suite 301, Redding, CA 96001 Telephone: (530) 225-3142

Sharon Runner (District 17 – Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura)

State Capitol, Room 4090, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4017; Fax: (916) 445-4662
Email: senator.runner@sen.ca.gov
848 West Lancaster Blvd, Ste 101, Lancaster, CA 93534 Telephone: (661) 729-6232
23920 Valencia Blvd, Ste 250, Santa Clarita, CA 91355 Telephone: (661) 286-1471
14343 Civic Dr, First Floor, Victorville, CA 92392 Telephone: (760) 843-8414

In addition to contacting Gov. Brown and your Senator, please contact Senate Health Committee Chair Ed Hernandez asking that the Committee support SB 810. If any of the other members of the Committee is your representative, contact him or her. Below are the members of the Senate Health Committee and their contact information:

Ed Hernandez, Chair, Democrat (District 24 – Los Angeles)

State Capitol, Room 4085, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4024; Fax: (916) 445-0485
Email: senator.hernandez@senate.ca.gov
149 South Mednik Avenue, Suite 202, Los Angeles, CA 90022 Telephone: (323) 881-0100
14403 E. Pacific Avenue, #327, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 Telephone: (626) 337-2760

Tony Strickland, Vice Chair, Republican (District 19 – Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura)

State Capitol, Room 4062, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4019; Fax: (916) 324-7544
Email: senator.strickland@sen.ca.gov
2655 First Street, Suite 130, Simi Valley, CA 93065 Telephone: (805) 306-8886
610 Anacapa, Suite B4, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Telephone: (805) 965-0862

Elaine Alquist, Democrat (District 13 – Santa Clara)

State Capitol, Room 5080, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4013; Fax (916) 324-0283
Email: senator.alquist@sen.ca.gov
7800 Arroyo Circle, Suite A, Gilroy, CA 95020 Telephone: (408) 847-6101
100 Paseo de San Antonio, Ste 209, San Jose, CA 95113 Telephone: (408) 286-8318

Joel Anderson, Republican (District 36 – San Diego, Riverside)

State Capitol, Room 2054, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4036
Email: senator.anderson@senate.ca.gov 27555
Ynez Road, Suite 204, Temecula, CA 92591 Telephone: (951) 676-1020
1870 Cordell Court, Suite 107, El Cajon, CA 92020 Telephone: (619) 596-3136

Sam Blakeslee, Republican (District 15 – Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara)

State Capitol, Room 4070, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4015; Fax: (916) 445-8081
Email: senator.Blakeslee@senate.ca.gov
1104 Palm Street, San Luis Opispo, CA 93401 Telephone: (805) 549-3784
100 Paseo de San Antonio, Suite 206, San Jose, CA 95113 Telephone: (408) 277-9461
590 Calle Principal Monterey, CA 93940 Telephone: (831) 657-6315

Kevin De Leon, Democrat (District 22 – Los Angeles)

State Capitol, Room 5108, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4022;Fax (916)327-8817
Email: senator.deleón@senate.ca.gov
617 S. Olive Street, Suite 710, Los Angeles, CA 90014 Telephone: (213) 612-9566

Mark DeSaulnier, Democrat (District 7 – Contra Costa)

State Capitol, Room 5035, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4007; Fax: (916) 445-2527
Email: senator.desaulnier@sen.ca.gov
420 West 3rd St, Antioch, CA 94509 Telephone: (925) 754-1461
420 W. 3rd Street, Antioch, CA 94509 Telephone: (925) 754-1461

Michael Rubio, Democrat (District 16 – Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern)

State Capitol, Room 2066, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4016; Fax: (916) 327-5989
Email: senator.rubio@senate.ca.gov
2550 Mariposa Hall, Suite 2016, Fresno, CA 93721 Telephone: (559) 264-3070
1800 30th Street, Suite 350, Bakersfield, CA 93301 Telephone: (661) 395-2620

Lois Wolk, Democrat (District 5 – Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo)

State Capitol, Room 5114, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-4005; Fax: (916) 323-2304
Email: senator.wolk@sen.ca.gov
1020 N St, Ste 506, Sacramento, CA 95814 Telephone: (916) 651-1511
31 East Channel St, Room 440, Stockton, CA 95202 Telephone: (209) 948-7930
555 Mason Street, Ste 230, Vacaville, CA 95688 Telephone: (707) 454-3808

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/sb-810-to-be-heard-in-senate-health-committee-april-27-contact-your-senator/feed/ 1 Why Do American Business Interests Continue to Resist Single Payer? http://californiaonecare.org/why-do-american-business-interests-continue-to-resist-single-payer/ http://californiaonecare.org/why-do-american-business-interests-continue-to-resist-single-payer/#comments Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:45:14 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7600 The following editorial was published in the Bennington Banner, a newspaper in Vermont, a state where single payer is gaining steam. The editorial is in response to the news that the 43-year-old Bennington Iron Works was closing because of heavy competition from firms in Canada, which has a single payer healthcare system.

One comment heard estimated that those firms were selling steel products at a hefty percentage less than BIW could manage. If that is true, we can think of one major cost of doing business that those Canadian firms are not paying -- employee health insurance. Of course, the reason is that unlike the United States, most industrialized nations have a health care system that is mostly or wholly funded by the government. For all their grousing about taxes and environmental and other regulations, pro-business conservatives rarely complain about the huge cost of our health care system -- the world's most expensive -- and the fact it is still dominated by private, for-profit insurance firms. And when a single-payer, Medicare-style system is proposed, they rail against that -- contending it would be more costly. But what is the cost of doing business for U.S. firms competing in ruthless global markets, in which foreign companies either have few or no obligations toward employee insurance and/or their workers are paid far less than the average American? Single-payer systems are designed and operated by governments, made up of human beings, and therefore they are not perfect. But in better controlling health care and drug costs, reducing paperwork and keeping profit margins of any private entities within the sanity range, they are far superior. And they provide a boost to economic development here by dramatically lowering the cost of doing business.
Click here to read more]]> The following editorial was published in the Bennington Banner, a newspaper in Vermont, a state where single payer is gaining steam. The editorial is in response to the news that the 43-year-old Bennington Iron Works was closing because of heavy competition from firms in Canada, which has a single payer healthcare system.

One comment heard estimated that those firms were selling steel products at a hefty percentage less than BIW could manage. If that is true, we can think of one major cost of doing business that those Canadian firms are not paying — employee health insurance. Of course, the reason is that unlike the United States, most industrialized nations have a health care system that is mostly or wholly funded by the government.

For all their grousing about taxes and environmental and other regulations, pro-business conservatives rarely complain about the huge cost of our health care system — the world’s most expensive — and the fact it is still dominated by private, for-profit insurance firms. And when a single-payer, Medicare-style system is proposed, they rail against that — contending it would be more costly.

But what is the cost of doing business for U.S. firms competing in ruthless global markets, in which foreign companies either have few or no obligations toward employee insurance and/or their workers are paid far less than the average American? Single-payer systems are designed and operated by governments, made up of human beings, and therefore they are not perfect. But in better controlling health care and drug costs, reducing paperwork and keeping profit margins of any private entities within the sanity range, they are far superior.
And they provide a boost to economic development here by dramatically lowering the cost of doing business.

Vermont’s governor, two U.S. senators and members of the state legislature firmly support single payer. Yet, the state, like any other effort to transform the status quo, will still face ferocious opposition from business interests. This, despite the fact that many companies, particularly smaller ones, are dealing with skyrocketing health insurance costs. This editorial contends that our profit-driven healthcare system is undermining the competitiveness of American businesses, with the casualties being companies like Bennington Iron Works and the employees that will be laid off.

There are a lot of good reasons why businesses should support single payer. So why do American corporations fight against shifting the responsibility – and burden – of providing health care from employers to the government, when this will save them money? In short, ideology. According to the Left Business Observer, some business executives don’t want to be seen publicly supporting single payer out of fear of upsetting the conservative orthodoxy that values the private, free market over the government. And, they don’t want to abandon their comrades in the insurance industry. But there’s a more insidious factor at play:

Employers like it when workers feel insecure. Fear of losing health coverage makes workers less willing to strike or resist pay cuts or speedup.

Making workers insecure gives employers even more control over their employees and therefore, the rest of the populace. When unhappy workers can’t leave their jobs out of fear of losing their health insurance, that closes off job opportunities that otherwise might have opened up for the millions of unemployed. And when unhappy workers who are entrepreneurial can’t leave their jobs to start new businesses, that prevents new jobs from being generated.

So it is for this reason why business interests rarely complain about the high cost of our for-profit healthcare system. They really like the fact that they can control people’s lives. And competition from universal healthcare countries like Canada isn’t so much an issue for them as American workers who just might have better and more innovative product ideas. Best to keep those workers on a short leash. And it’s not just workers corporations want to keep in line. Profit-driven health care hurts small mom-and-pops more than large companies. Taking the burden of providing employee health coverage off small businesses would allow them to invest in and grow their companies. That’s a real competitive threat to Big Business.

Canada’s single payer system doesn’t present a huge competitive disadvantage for many large American corporations. These corporations are still raking in billions in profits. When health insurance costs go up, these corporations simply shove more of the financial responsibility onto their employees by taking the costs out of wages. It’s small businesses that are having difficulty competing against large corporations and firms in countries with national health insurance. So it’s small businesses and ordinary citizens who are paying the terrible price for this unfair healthcare system.

To sum up, profit-driven health care is not only unfair and expensive, it makes our society less egalitarian and less democratic. It means less freedom for workers. A single payer system, like the one for California outlined in State Sen. Mark Leno’s bill SB 810, would make our workplaces more democratic. It will result in healthier and happier employees, and better productivity for companies. It will help small companies compete with large corporations. The good news is that there are companies who recognize that single payer is good for business and are willing to speak out in favor of it. More companies should follow their lead.

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/why-do-american-business-interests-continue-to-resist-single-payer/feed/ 0 Status UpDate: Pass SB 810! http://californiaonecare.org/status-update-pass-sb-810/ http://californiaonecare.org/status-update-pass-sb-810/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:03:59 +0000 admin http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7632 pivotal year for the California OneCare Campaign for single payer health care reform. Senator Mark Leno reintroduced Senate Bill 810 with the same number! It is essentially the same bill that has passed twice before in the legislature. But this legislature is different. There are many new Democrats not familiar with SB 810 and they must be educated. The winds of change are ablowing. From Madison to Sacramento, political change is starting to take hold. People are fighting back against the savage assault by radical Governors and other leaders on proven, practical social programs in the U.S. Nevertheless, Medicaid funding has been reduced, Medicare has been placed on the chopping block, Social Security is threatened with cuts or privatization, and public servants--nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers, government workers--are denigrated and blamed for “budget deficits.” This historic health care fight is a golden opportunity for the future of the Golden State. Our fight for true health care reform is a key push back against these forces and we have a golden opportunity for success in California. We can be the pioneers of a true health care reform revolution by bringing single payer, universal health care to our state. We know how to create a health care system that is accessible and affordable for everyone which will launch a new vision for practical social justice for the country. We will eliminate the greed, the profiteering and the misery. Our health care system is getting sicker every day. There should be no room for profiteering off of children or adults who are injured or ill. Contracting cancer should never be a cause of bankruptcy. Denying a claim for medical care should be a long-forgotten, freakish memory of the everyday practice of greedy insurance corporations and their shareholders. Being at the mercy of insurance corporations as they annually increase their rates and reduce their coverage is evil and must end. We know about the task ahead and we have a plan. Passing and funding SB 810 will not be easy but we know what we need to do and we have a campaign strategy for success which we’ll be revealing in stages in the weeks and months ahead. You can take immediate actions that will help right now. 1) Ask, convince, cajole or demand your state Senator and Assembly member to become a co-sponsor of SB 810.* 2) If they don’t co-sponsor SB 810, pressure them, until you are sure of their vote for SB 810 in committees and on the floor of the Senate or Assembly. 3) Ask friends, businesses, local elected officials, people at your place of worship--in short, everyone--to support SB 810 by sending a “letter of support or email” to Senator Mark Leno’s office in Sacramento. Stay tuned for new campaign news and actions. Are you able to help our historic movement? Are you willing to volunteer an hour a week? Or donate $5 a month? Truly, every action and every penny will help. The day will come when Goliath falls and we can joyfully look each other in the eye and say that we did the impossible. We defeated the colossal insurance corporations, and finally—finally--we have California OneCare for everyone, forever. Thank you for your continued support. We will win! Andrew McGuire, Executive Director *For a directory of Senate and Assembly members and their contact information, go to: http://www.sen.ca.gov/ or http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp]]> Dear OneCare Supporters,

After years of fighting for real health care reform, 2011 is going to be an exciting pivotal year for the California OneCare Campaign for single payer health care reform.

Senator Mark Leno reintroduced Senate Bill 810 with the same number! It is essentially the same bill that has passed twice before in the legislature. But this legislature is different. There are many new Democrats not familiar with SB 810 and they must be educated.

The winds of change are ablowing.

From Madison to Sacramento, political change is starting to take hold. People are fighting back against the savage assault by radical Governors and other leaders on proven, practical social programs in the U.S. Nevertheless, Medicaid funding has been reduced, Medicare has been placed on the chopping block, Social Security is threatened with cuts or privatization, and public servants–nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers, government workers–are denigrated and blamed for “budget deficits.”

This historic health care fight is a golden opportunity for the future of the Golden State.

Our fight for true health care reform is a key push back against these forces and we have a golden opportunity for success in California. We can be the pioneers of a true health care reform revolution by bringing single payer, universal health care to our state. We know how to create a health care system that is accessible and affordable for everyone which will launch a new vision for practical social justice for the country.

We will eliminate the greed, the profiteering and the misery.

Our health care system is getting sicker every day. There should be no room for profiteering off of children or adults who are injured or ill. Contracting cancer should never be a cause of bankruptcy. Denying a claim for medical care should be a long-forgotten, freakish memory of the everyday practice of greedy insurance corporations and their shareholders. Being at the mercy of insurance corporations as they annually increase their rates and reduce their coverage is evil and must end.

We know about the task ahead and we have a plan.

Passing and funding SB 810 will not be easy but we know what we need to do and we have a campaign strategy for success which we’ll be revealing in stages in the weeks and months ahead.

You can take immediate actions that will help right now.

1) Ask, convince, cajole or demand your state Senator and Assembly member to become a co-sponsor of SB 810.*

2) If they don’t co-sponsor SB 810, pressure them, until you are sure of their vote for SB 810 in committees and on the floor of the Senate or Assembly.

3) Ask friends, businesses, local elected officials, people at your place of worship–in short, everyone–to support SB 810 by sending a “letter of support or email” to Senator Mark Leno’s office in Sacramento.

Stay tuned for new campaign news and actions.

Are you able to help our historic movement? Are you willing to volunteer an hour a week? Or donate $5 a month? Truly, every action and every penny will help. The day will come when Goliath falls and we can joyfully look each other in the eye and say that we did the impossible. We defeated the colossal insurance corporations, and finally—finally–we have California OneCare for everyone, forever.

Thank you for your continued support. We will win!

Andrew McGuire, Executive Director

*For a directory of Senate and Assembly members and their contact information, go to: http://www.sen.ca.gov/ or http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/status-update-pass-sb-810/feed/ 0 Obama’s Healthcare Reform Law One Year Later http://californiaonecare.org/obamas-healthcare-reform-law-one-year-later/ http://californiaonecare.org/obamas-healthcare-reform-law-one-year-later/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:27:26 +0000 Sylvia Moore http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7601 Many Americans are still confused about the law. And one poll shows that although most people are opposed to the law, a quarter of those opposed believe it doesn't go far enough. One of the most important provisions of PPACA, the prohibition on preexisting conditions, won't go into affect until 2014. Meanwhile, millions of our citizens, battered by the worst recession since the Great Depression, are still going without coverage. Millions more are suffering under burdensome insurance premium increases. Click here to read more]]> It’s been a year since President Obama and the Democrats passed the most sweeping overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system in more than 40 years. Sweeping it may have been, but for millions of Americans, this law is still inadequate. Unfortunately, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) leaves in place the unaffordable, unsustainable and grossly unfair profit-driven healthcare system.

Many Americans are still confused about the law. And one poll shows that although most people are opposed to the law, a quarter of those opposed believe it doesn’t go far enough. One of the most important provisions of PPACA, the prohibition on preexisting conditions, won’t go into affect until 2014. Meanwhile, millions of our citizens, battered by the worst recession since the Great Depression, are still going without coverage. Millions more are suffering under burdensome insurance premium increases.

A great post by Kevin Zeese of Prosperity Agenda details the problems inherent in PPACA:

Premiums are rising and coverage is shrinking a new norm is taking hold in America: ‘Unaffordable underinsurance.’ This month, the number of waivers granted to the Obama health law broke 1,000 protecting inadequate insurance plans. The expansion of health insurance to the uninsured is becoming a mirage. The Obama administration has told states they could reduce the number of people covered by Medicaid as well as reduce the services provided. And, the centerpiece of the law is under court challenge – the mandate is the first time ever the federal government has forced Americans to buy a corporate product, private health insurance – is heading to a close Supreme Court decision.

Although PPACA provides relief from some of the worst abuses of the health insurance industry, the law is nothing more than a Band-Aid covering a gaping wound. We can do much better. And we can do it without private health insurance companies. The fight for a simpler system that guarantees affordable access to health care for all has shifted to the states. California and Vermont are leading efforts to pass single payer at the state level. In Vermont, the state’s new Democratic governor has unveiled a single payer bill, and both U.S. senators support single payer. In California, State Sen. Mark Leno re-introduced SB 810 last month, and the bill is currently in committee. Even President Obama is acknowledging these state efforts by throwing his support to a federal bill that would allow states to opt out of most of PPACA’s requirements by 2014, instead of 2017.

We have a long battle ahead against the insurance industry lobbyists and their minions who would deny Americans their right to affordable health care. But progress is being made. Once PPACA’s shortcomings become more readily apparent, the public will realize that the only credible solution to our healthcare crisis is single payer.

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org

]]> http://californiaonecare.org/obamas-healthcare-reform-law-one-year-later/feed/ 1 365 Ad # 358 Stanley and Betty Sheinbaum http://californiaonecare.org/365-ad-358-stanley-and-betty-sheinbaum/ http://californiaonecare.org/365-ad-358-stanley-and-betty-sheinbaum/#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:02:11 +0000 admin http://californiaonecare.org/?p=7334

Click here to see the video

Stanley and Betty Sheinbaum explain what single payer means. All the health care premiums go into one pot and from that pot all health care providers including doctors, hospitals, even dentists are paid. Single payer California OneCare is the health care plan that makes sense.

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365 Ad # 358


Stanley and Betty Sheinbaum explain what single payer means. All the health care premiums go into one pot and from that pot all health care providers including doctors, hospitals, even dentists are paid. Single payer California OneCare is the health care plan that makes sense.

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