(CA) Assembly approves (socialized) universal health care

The San Fransisco Chronicle ^ | August 29, 2006 | Lynda Gledhill

[Clintonfatigued]

The Democratic-controlled Legislature is on the verge of sending Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill that would create a state-run universal health care system, testing him on an issue that voters rate as one of their top concerns in this election year.

On a largely party-line 43-30 vote, the Assembly approved a bill by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, that would eliminate private medical insurance plans and establish a statewide health insurance system that would provide coverage to all Californians. The state Senate has already approved the plan once and is expected this week to approve changes that the Assembly made to the bill.

[Clintonfatigued]

This is a great way to get even more small businessmen and middle-class taxpayers to leave California.

This has the potential to make the bailout of GM look like peanuts.

[Brilliant]

Good. We need to let CA be the guinea pig.

[Spktyr]

Was going to say; if this passes, then we're going to see if it is possible for business to leave the state at a rate approaching the speed of light...

[A_perfect_lady]

When it fails, they'll just blame the rest of the country for not doing the same thing and thus offering a safe haven to the earners of the world to retreat to.

[stm]

One more brick in the Kalifornia Socialistika Republik wall.

[KoRn]

"Good. We need to let CA be the guinea pig."

I hope that Arnold signs this. It will be a case study in socialist failure. The only downside is destroying one of our largest states will bring down the country somewhat.

[Clintonfatigued]

Well, maybe you can get Brandon Routh to be your mover.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"This creates a government-run system akin to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Do we want health care taken care of by another bloated bureaucracy?"

Not quite analogous -- few people have died waiting in line for service at the DMV.

[Clintonfatigued]

"I hope that Arnold signs this."

The Gubernator is a RINO, but not an Uber-RINO. He won't sign it.

[theBuckwheat]

Time to leave while before the Assembly passes the Fugitive Citizens Act.

[Alia]

Yes, this is another plan by Democrats to have the Feds and every single state in the United States BAIL OUT California.

[theBuckwheat]

From the National Center for Policy Analysis email newsletter of 8/29/2006:

THE WAITING GAME

---

Last week Ottawa-based Decima Research released results of a poll
designed to answer the ultimate question in Canada: "How many wait
too long for health care?"

The firm surveyed 3,070 Canadians and found:

o More than one-in-three Canadian households has tried and
failed to get timely access to at least one health service
within the last three months.

o Nearly half (46 percent) of those waiting to see a specialist
said they experienced an "unreasonable" wait time,
as did 30 percent of those waiting to confirm a diagnosis.

o Of those who sought emergency hospital treatment, 44 percent
said their wait was too long.

According to Decima CEO Bruce Anderson, "In the case of some
services, the number of people satisfied with the speed of service is
virtually equaled by the number of people who are dissatisfied."

The Vancouver-based Fraser Institute's "Waiting Your Turn"
annual report has documented Canada's waiting-time crisis in health
care for 15 years. In 2005 it found "total waiting time
between referral from a general practitioner and treatment, averaged
across all 12 specialties and 10 provinces, was 17.7 weeks."

At issue here is whether it is better to ration a scarce good using
prices, as a free-market system would do, or using time, as is
inevitably the case with nationally financed systems. As Anderson
put it, "These results confirm that millions of Canadian
households, in the last three months alone, experienced the anxiety of
waiting what they felt was too long a period of time for a health
service."

Source: Editorial, "The Waiting Game," Wall Street Journal,
August 29, 2006; based upon: "How Many Wait Too Long for Health
Care?" Decima Research, August 23, 2006 and Nadeem Esmail and
Michael Walker, "Waiting Your Turn: Hospital Waiting Lists in
Canada, 15th Edition," Fraser Institute, October 2005.

For text (subscription required):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115680716485947821.html

For Decima study:

http://www.decima.com/en/pdf/news_releases/060825E.pdf

For Fraser study:

http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/shared/readmore.asp?sNav=pb&id=801

For more on Health Issues:

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/?Article_Category=16

[sionnsar]

Not quite analogous -- few people have died waiting in line for service at the DMV.

I remember CA DMV. You sure? Got figures on that?

*\;-)

[Clint Williams]

Good. We need to let CA be the guinea pig.

Finally, a way to get rid of Washington's freeloaders! Just tell them what they can get in California (in addition to MUCH better weather than Washington's), and they'll be history.

[DejaJude]

Just one of the reasons that this native Californian left and went to Arizona.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Go for it Cali! Free health care, mandatory clean air...aahhhh

[Chicos_Bail_Bonds]

If Prop 13 is overturned, it's all over. My property taxes are already at $5000+ per year and many people are worse than mine. It would cause people to sell their homes so fast and move.

[Nomorjer Kinov]

Not quite analogous -- few people have died waiting in line for service at the DMV.

True, but many have wished they were dead.