Posted on 09/29/2006 10:37:35 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
As Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, looks toward a second term, his administration has vowed to make access to health care a top priority.
The govenror hopes to unveil a major health-care plan that he hopes to unveil in January if he is re-elected.
In preparation, Schwarzenegger has hired a top-level staff to actually write the proposal that includes ranking health-care experts from former Gov. Gray Davis' administration.
Richard Figueroa, a veteran health care consultant and go-to person for health issues on Davis' executive staff, will join Schwarzenegger's team next week in the Department of Managed Health Care, according to Capitol and private sources with direct knowledge of Figueroa's new position. They confirmed said that Schwarzenegger, if re-elected, intends to release his proposal in his 2007 State of the State Address.
Just days ago, Schwarzenegger vetoed universal health care legislation authored by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, which would have established a government-run program to provide health care for all Californians, regardless of income.
The governor has not said what his own proposal will include, although Capitol sources say it is likely to incorporate ideas from a number of states, including Massachusetts. It is also likely to entail some form of public-private partnership, in which workers and employers both bear a portion of the costs.
After his veto of Keuhl's bill, Schwarzenegger penned an op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune. "Affordability is the key to making our system work for everyone, and affordability is exactly what we are dedicating ourselves to," he wrote, dismissing Kuehl's bill as "socialized medicine"
Schwarzenegger's new health-care team has already begun meeting with major stakeholders in the health care world, including business, medical and insurance groups. All have indicated the governor is serious about making health care a focus of his second term, if he is re-elected.
Health care advocates hope Schwarzenegger's plan will include preventive care, and programs to deal with chronic afflictions and the costly care that is often required near the end of life.
"From the patient standpoint, it should allow two things, preventive care and chronic disease management, because they address both quality and cost. The percentages are huge, 60 to 80 percent of the cost. I don't mean you can eliminate them, but you can address them and reduce them," said Bob Gore, a spokesman for Californians for Patient Care.
Figueroa, who declined to discuss his new job with Capitol Weekly, serves as a member of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which regulates HMOs. He is a health insurance expert in the Department of Insurance under Commissioner John Garamendi, and earlier served as a health insurance consultant in the Assembly. During his years in the Davis administration, he participated in major studies of state health policy options.
"He would be incredibly valuable to the administration in trying to put an insurance reform package together and expanding insurance in such a massive way. I think the governor would be wise to heavily rely on him. Figueroa has the technical knowledge of the insurance market to put it together," said Dustin Corcoran, the California Medical Association's top lobbyist in Sacramento.
Other newly hired members of Schwarzenegger's include John Ramey, a Republican and member of former Gov. George Deukmejian's administration. Two years ago, Ramey served as a consultant to the California Chamber of Commerce in its campaign against Proposition 72, which called for voters to decide whether to establish a health care system heavily financed by employers.
Another member is Herb Schultz, an expert in HMO issues who served in the Davis administration and who helped write the legislation that voters rejected at the polls in Proposition 72.
The fourth member is Ruth Liu, a former analyst at Kaiser Permanente who now serves as a health policy expert in the Schwarzenegger administration.
http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/4217/
09/29/2006 GAAS:716:06 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Foster Partnerships Between California and Mexico
In step with the Governor’s commitment to strengthen California’s ties with Mexico, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he has signed Assembly Bill 3021 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles). The bill creates the California–Mexico Border Relations Council and identifies dialogue opportunities between California and Mexico, in an effort to foster goodwill and communication.
“This council will work diligently to explore and identify priorities to further develop partnerships between California and Mexico in areas of trade, environment, natural resources, transportation, health and agriculture,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I am proud of the favorable relations that we’ve been able to foster with the Mexican Border States and the federal government.”
The California-Mexico Border Relations Council will consist of all agency secretaries and the Director of the Office of Emergency Services. The council will be responsible for coordinating activities of state agencies that have cross-border programs, initiatives, projects, and partnerships and be required to submit an annual report to the Legislature beginning January 1, 2008.
Governor Schwarzenegger is schedule to take part in a trade mission to Mexico set for November 9-10, 2006.
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