SJ Kuehl (D): A second, third and fourth opinion on healthcare (CA

Four healthcare proposals are now before the Legislature, including one crafted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which will be spotlighted in his State of the State address tonight.

Unfortunately, that plan and two others — state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata's SB 48 and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez's AB 13 — are short-term solutions that have the potential to expand coverage but at the end of the day can't be relied on to achieve what 80% of Californians say they want: a government guarantee of access to affordable healthcare coverage in the state.

The fourth proposal before the Legislature is SB 840, which I wrote last year. It is the only proposal that establishes universal, affordable, comprehensive health insurance for all Californians and guarantees the right of each patient to choose his or her doctor.

SB 840 would replace insurance companies with a statewide trust fund that collects premiums paid by employers and individuals, who together would share the responsibility for funding the program.

The governor says he will not sign a universal insurance bill. Nevertheless, the Legislature will continue to develop the plan as the only long-term, universal solution to the health crisis.

I'm committed to working with all stakeholders — the governor, the Legislature, medical professionals, labor, business and consumers — to craft real healthcare reform this session. I believe that SB 840 provides the best way to meet the goal of universal healthcare for Californians.

John Edwards and universal health care

"During a blog session on the liberal Daily Kos website last week, the Democrat (Edwards) said:

“I believe we need a universal health care system where ALL Americans have health care coverage. I’m working on a plan right now for universal healthcare, and if you have ideas I would love to hear them.”

This is what the Democrats want, single payer, i.e. government run, healthcare, so every single person in the US will be dependent on the government for their health and wellbeing.

In the article about Edwards, they also discuss how disastrous the healthcare is in Canada, as a direct result of the single payer (government) system.

"The median waiting time between referral by a general practitioner and treatment for general surgery patients was over ten weeks. For gynecology it was 14 weeks and for ophthalmology it’s 27 weeks. If you’re an orthopedic surgery patient, you’ve got plenty of time to think about your upcoming procedure, more than 40 weeks. Radiation oncology patients have to wait five weeks."

"This is what the Democrats want, single payer, i.e. government run, healthcare, so every single person in the US will be dependent on the government for their health and wellbeing."

Yes, let duplicate the failure of every other country.

Still has not every replied to me on my question "Why is is my responsibility to buy your aspirin.

Here is a helpful side-by-side comparison of the elements of Arnold Care vs. the Nuñez and Perata bills
mentioned in the article. Kuehl's plan is apparently deemed DOA.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/crossroads/healthcare/archives/healthplancompare.doc

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