San Luis Obispo Tribune

August 13, 2006

One a day; Morro Bay rally kicks off health care drive

Backers plan a rally a day for the next year across the state to build support for legislation
By Sarah Arnquist
sarnquist@thetribunenews.com

A statewide campaign to grow support for universal health care and a single-payer health care system in California kicked off Saturday in Morro Bay.

The campaign called OneCareNow will travel to 364 additional cities in the next year to raise support for the universal health care bill, SB 840, which is moving through the state Legislature. The campaign started in one of the state’s smallest cities, Morro Bay, and will end next August in the largest, Los Angeles.

A few hundred people attended the event sponsored by the San Luis Obispo County chapter of Health Care for All, a statewide organization working for universal health care.

Among those attending was Kevin McGuire of Arroyo Grande, who taped dozens of mock medical bills on his body to represent how vulnerable people are under today’s health care system, he said.

McGuire said his parents were forced to sell their home to pay off the medical debt from his father’s heart surgery. He works for his parents’ picture framing business and said he cannot afford health insurance.

"(Health insurance) has really become an unaffordable luxury for many people," he said.

About one in five non-elderly adults — nearly 6.5 million Californians — lacked health insurance in 2004, according to the California Health Care Foundation.

The bill, also called the California Health Insurance Reliability Act, would eliminate commercial health insurance and provide health insurance to all California residents through a single state-run program. A new agency would be created to administer the program, paid for with payroll taxes that replace insurance premiums.

Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, introduced SB 840 last year. It passed in the Senate and is headed to the Assembly floor for a vote in the next few weeks. SB 840 cannot take effect until voters or the Legislature approve a separate financing bill.

Several local leaders have voiced their support of the bill.

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jim Patterson spoke in favor of universal coverage and a single-payer system Saturday, saying he thinks it would save California money.

"It just makes good sense," he said.

The Morro Bay City Council passed a resolution in May supporting the bill.

"Everybody is one illness away from bankruptcy these days," said Morro Bay Mayor Janice Peters. "We need to do something, and this is the first step."

The bill’s supporters, including the California Nurses Association and the League of Women Voters, say a single-payer system will save the state money by streamlining the system and negotiating lower prices with drug companies.

Opponents, including the California Chamber of Commerce, say such a bill would reduce consumer choice, require a major tax increase and create a large bureaucracy that is less efficient than the free market.

The campaign is scheduled to end next August when the Legislature is set to vote on SB 840. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not support a single-payer system, calling it a tax increase. Gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides has said he would sign the bill if he wins the November election.

SB 840: Bill to provide universal health care

Supporters say:

• It would provide free health care to California’s 6.5 million uninsured residents.

• It would reduce financial vulnerability because half of all personal bankruptcies are because of health care costs.

• A single-payer system would save California $8 billion in the first year by streamlining the system.

• Change is needed because the United States spends more than any other nation on health care and has worse health outcomes than many industrialized nations.

Opposition says:

• Government systems are not more efficient than the free market.

• Patients in Canada and England, which have single-payer systems, have long waits for services.

• It does not address cost containment.

• It limits consumer choice.

• It requires a major tax increase to replace the current system.

• Price controls would discourage investment in biotechnology and advanced medical devices.

Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office