Senator Sheila Kuehl
Bull Dyke alert.
Posted on 05/17/2005 11:21:34 PM PDT by HKMk23
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE ALERT
RE: SB 840 – Socialized Medicine
Author: Senator Sheila Kuehl
Position: Strongly OPPOSE
Status: In California State Senate
Summary of Concerns:
SB 840 is an aggressive plan to bring socialized medicine into California by replacing private health insurance with a mandatory state-run program for every California resident. SB 840 will: 1) force every California resident above poverty level to pay a state insurance premium (hidden tax); 2) destroy the current system of choices of health care coverage; 3) drive up the cost of health care coverage; 4) reduce the quality of health care available; 5) reduce the availability of health care, forcing some families to go out of state to obtain health care for their family members; 6) create a new huge government bureaucracy that will make life and death medical decisions; and 7) place all final health care decisions in the hands of a single government board and its commissioner.
A. Action:
1. Call your State Senator in Sacramento now and ask them to "Please vote No on SB 840."
B. Background:
* SB 840 would create the "California Health Insurance System" to be administered by an autonomous agency, the "California Health Insurance Agency," under the direction of the "Health Insurance Commissioner" who would be elected for terms of eight years.
* SB 840 would establish the "California Health Insurance Agency" as the sole primary provider of health insurance coverage for all California residents.
* SB 840 would prohibit all current health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies from being sold in California because they would duplicate services provided through the "California Health Insurance Agency." Individual health care service plans or insurance companies would only be able to sell medical or health services in California that the "California Health Insurance Agency" does not provide.
C. Reasons to Oppose this legislation:
1. Health care is primarily the responsibility of families and individuals, not of the government.
2. Health insurance and health care plans have operated as private for-profit or non-profit enterprises in a competitive free market. These should not be controlled or stopped from operating.
3. SB 840 effectively creates a form of taxation in the form of insurance premiums that are to be paid to the state. The state would control how that money is redistributed to pay for medical services for anyone who resides in the state.
4. SB 840 will destroy the current level of choices for health care coverage available to Californians as the "California Health Insurance Agency" dictates what health care the state will provide.
5. SB 840 interferes with the right of individuals to fully manage their own medical decisions. For instance, under SB 840 individuals can only obtain services approved by the state, and only by providers approved by the state. Morally objectionable services, such as abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or mandatory regular psychiatric exams for everyone could be paid for. In addition, some services, such as those that help the disabled, the aged, or infants with congenital conditions could be rationed or eliminated.
6. SB 840 could result in individuals needing to purchase additional coverage for care beyond what the state's plan would provide. This would require the individual to pay into the state's plan and additionally into a private plan. Most people would not be able to afford to pay for additional plans and would be stuck with only the state's coverage.
7. Under SB 840, premiums for a state plan are very likely to be significantly higher than premiums for existing private plans, which are of a higher quality and offer more choices. Everyone above poverty level will be subsidizing the hundreds of thousands of low- or non-income individuals who will not be paying for their coverage.
8. SB 840 would allow this new state agency to issue regulations concerning your medical care without any public input or independent review by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). Current law requires the opportunity for public comment and for OAL review of government generated regulations.
It just never ends here!
That means good health care becomes no health care with a long wait.
Arnold has to promise to veto this.
"Arnold has to promise to veto this."
My thoughts exactly. If there ever was a CA bill that needs to be vetoed, this is it.
I think we need to write not only to our legislators, but to Arnold, asking that he speak up against it and assure us that he will veto it, if the CA Legislature passes it.
Those are excellent points you are making.
I would think it would be obvious to Arnold that this would be devestating to our state.
Well, here is a fight for Tom McClintock to spearhead -- one of the most important ones in recent memory and one of the most important ones for the future of our State and our lives.
He should be encouraged to take it on, and use his name recognition in the fight against this disastrous bill.
They're relentless over there in California. I don't know how you guys find the time to keep up with the liberals and make a living at the same time.
Given the socialists cooking up this scheme, you can expect it to be progressive, i.e. premiums based on your income and services provided on a means tested basis. A bonanza for illegals and a major screw job to people making a decent income.
"SB840, by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, made it out of the Senate Health Committee on a partisan vote -- but only as a nod to the political left. The bill is expected to die unless legislators decide to force a veto by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger so Democrats can taunt him for killing reform.
At this point, Kuehl calls SB840 a two-year bill because there is no plan to pay its cost of up to $80 billion -- bigger than the state's general fund budget.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/01/INGCGCFQKA1.DTL
Its a constant beginning...caustic and relentless
Senator Sheila Kuehl
Bull Dyke alert.
Why do you think I'm up at this hour?
If there's ANYTHING that truly "takes a village", it's keeping a watchful forest of eyes on the Legislature in Sacramento. They've gone to incredibly fraudulent lengths to try and slip bad legislation past the citizens of this State.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to heat up some dinner.
"I'm going to heat up some dinner."
As long as you are not going to dig up another depressing bill.
This has been a bad evening: Villaraigosa elected Mayor of LA, bills such as SB840 being cooked up in the Legislature, behind the backs of people.... What next?!
ping
I moved to Oregon, which is not much better, but at least I did escape the high cost of living there...
If this crap goes through, I hope it truly applies to all Californians and does not exempt the greedy *ss unions and the Legislators themselves.. Same plan for ALL CALIFORNIANS. BUT, IMAGINE how fast this will spread across the country!
Business *will* pull out... this is nuts.
Those LaRaza types are drooling and rubbing their hands together thinking of the VOTES they can buy for life with this.
hARUMPH.
~ping~
She is Zelda from Dobie Gillis
Taxpayer's Bill of Rights for Georgia
One overlooked development coming out of the 2005 Session of Georgia's Legislature was the creation of a study committee to examine the potential benefits of enacting a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights(TABOR)(view the bill by clicking here).[snip]
~ping~
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