Posted on 02/24/2005 4:59:24 PM PST by Nachum
At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 23, on the South Steps of the California State Capitol, State Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-23) announced her introduction of SB 840 the California Health Insurance Reliability Act (CHIRA) to the California Legislature. Senate Pro Tempore Don Perata has joined as a co-author as have Senator Deborah Ortiz, chair of the Senate Health Committee and Assemblymember Wilma Chan, chair of the Assembly Health Committee who are both principle co-authors. The bill will cover every Californian with comprehensive health insurance and guarantee their right to choose their own physician, while containing healthcare cost inflation. By slashing the administrative costs of health insurance and utilizing Californias purchasing power to buy prescription drugs and medical equipment in bulk, CHIRA will save an estimated $25 billion, in the first year alone, in statewide healthcare spending. Senator Kuehl was joined by principle co-authors, Senator Deborah Ortiz, Chair of the Senate Health Committee and Assemblymember Wilma Chan, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee.
CHIRA is based on a model put forward, in a study released this January, by the Lewin Group, an independent firm with 18 years of experience in healthcare cost analysis. Senator Kuehl, along with State Senate President Pro Tempore, Don Perata, helped to present the report, on January 19, at which time Senator Kuehl pledged to bring legislation based on its findings.
According to the Lewin model, it is possible to insure all state residents with full coverage that includes medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug benefits, and that is based on a high standard for quality, by streamlining the process of reimbursement. Means-based premiums, assessed according to income and payroll, would replace all premiums, deductibles, co-pays and out of pocket expenses. The vast majority of individuals, families and businesses that pay for insurance would save money while receiving better coverage. Everybody knows that healthcare costs are out of control. The system is broken and tinkering wont fix it, said Senator Kuehl. Were beyond the point of cosmetic surgery. What we need is a cure.
Half of the personal bankruptcies in this country are related to medical expenses, the Senator continued, and most of the people bankrupted have insurance when they get sick. Californians just cant rely on their insurance when they get sick or injured. There are too many holes and deductibles in the plans they buy, and if they lose their job, they lose their benefits.
A new report from Boston University concluded that about 50% of health care spending is wasted on unnecessary clinical and administrative costs, insurance company profits, and excessive pharmaceutical prices in the U.S. Spending on health care now consumes about 15.5% of our nations projected economic growth (GDP), yet Americans are not receiving superior health care. We dont need to spend more, stated Senator Kuehl, we need to be much more efficient with the statewide healthcare budget we already have and now we have the evidence to show that we can do it.
With more than 6 million uninsured Californians and health insurance premiums growing at double-digit rates, we must find a way to provide all Californians with affordable and safe health care coverage, said Senate Health Committee Chair Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento. I believe Sen. Kuehls single-payer legislation provides a sound plan for crafting comprehensive healthcare coverage, especially for the uninsured and those who cannot afford spiraling medical and prescription drug costs.
Said Assemblymember Chan, Health care premiums continue to rise; the number of working Californians without health insurance continues to grow. We need a health plan that covers all Californians, promotes quality, preserves choice, and costs less. The California Health Insurance Reliability Act does all that.
You got that right!
Then there's that pesky cost of food. Have you been to the market lately?
(Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News.")
(Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News.")
(Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News.")
With all due respect, I sell health insurance in California and it is rare that I cannot find health coverage for my clients. The "uninnsurable" have a number of means to find insurance and I have had a great deal of success in getting coverage.
You forget that California has numerous ways to insure individuals.
1) If you are indigent, Med-Cal
2) Federally, Medicaid
3) (for the working poor) Healthy Families
4) Guaranteed issuance of group coverage down to 2 employees
5) COBRA (for groups of 20 or more employees
6) Cal-COBRA (extending COBRA to groups of 2)
7) Guaranteed conversion of COBRA policies to individual plans under the HIPAA
8) Union Plans that guarantee acceptance for working union members of SAG, AFTRA, AFL-CIO and others (as individuals)
9) Underwriting guidelines may well insure various "uninsured" at higher rates depending on the condition.
(Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News.")
10) A "high risk" insurance plan, sponsored through the state of California, guaranteed issue for anyone who had been rejected for health reasons from a health plan. All pre-existing conditions are covered after 3 months on the plan.
This coverage is guaranteed for two years with 5 of the top carriers in the state.
Royce West has the same type of bill that he is pushing here in Texas.
His bill proposes that anybody who lives with in 200 percent of the poverty line they get free health care.
AND THE COUNTIES HAVE TO PICK UP THE TAB. That would cost Denton County somewhere around 5 million tax dollars with in the first year, easy.
Currently Indigent Health Care is with in 21 percent.
Oh, great Royce West---he of the great ideas!!!
In the article it says that the people would be means tested so that they would pay premiums, deductibles, etc., according to their incomes---so the rich will have to pay a lot more than they do now, plus pay for the indigent care that all of us pay for, plus the higher costs of medicine, medical supplies---
Also, there was a paragraph expounding on the problem of bankruptcies caused by medical costs even if you have insurance---first, why would that stop if, like they previous sentence said, they filed even when they had insurance--so how would this change that?
Second, I don't know about California, but I know here in Texas, you can't be sued for unpaid medical bills and they can't charge you interest, so there is no reason to file for bankruptcy for medical bills.
We had a rough time a few years ago and ended up with a lot of post insurance medical bills--all I did was call every doctor, therapist, hospital, etc., and set up a payment plan based on what I could pay and I paid them off--not one penny of interest and it never went on my credit report because I made a good faith effort to pay bills---
1) If you are indigent, Med-Cal
2) Federally, Medicaid
3) (for the working poor) Healthy Families
4) Guaranteed issuance of group coverage down to 2 employees
5) COBRA (for groups of 20 or more employees
6) Cal-COBRA (extending COBRA to groups of 2)
7) Guaranteed conversion of COBRA policies to individual plans under the HIPAA
8) Union Plans that guarantee acceptance for working union members of SAG, AFTRA, AFL-CIO and others (as individuals)
9) Underwriting guidelines may well insure various "uninsured" at higher rates depending on the condition.
1) Not indigent.
2) Not eligible for medicaid
3) Don't qualify (not working poor).
4) Self employed (Should I give up my income to work for health insurance? Legitimate question, I suppose and I hear the casinos are hiring.)
5) Not eligible for Cobra.
6) Not eligible for Cal Cobra.
7) Cobra conversion (no Cobra, no conversion)
8) Union plan - not a member.
9) Insurance at higher rate? Should I give you a call?
There was an article today in the San Francisco Chronicle about a girl from England who the English doctors said could not eat. For the first seven years of her life she was fed through a tube. She was diagnosed with some kind of palsy where food went into her lungs instead of her stomach when she was an infant..
EXCEPT -- the diagnosis was WRONG. The English Socialized Doctors blew the diagnosis.
The parents, thinking that the daughter really did have the palsy, heard that Stanford had a cure for it. So they raised $20,000 for their kid to go to Stanford. The doctors at Stanford took a quick look at her and said "She is missing all the OTHER symptoms of palsy aside from food going into her lungs." Then they noticed that there was no food going into her lungs. They said "there is nothing wrong with your kid. She can eat whatever she wants." For the last two weeks, she's been eating Big Macs, and, to quote her, "hash browns with lots of grease".
No. Do you have a spouse or family member that can be your partner or corporate officer? You could possibly qualify for a guaranteed issue group plan.
Insurance at higher rate?
Possibly. It would depend on your pre-existing condition. We would have to send a written request to the underwriters at certain companies to know for sure. I would need more info. At the very least, you would qualify for the California Major Risk Plan for a two year coverage period.
Should I give you a call?
You can contact my office anytime. I will make helping you a priority. I will send you a private message with contact information.
I have heard similar malpractice stories from a great many countries and from hospital systems operating on a socialized clinic model here in the US. Kaiser is sued more than any health provider here in California. I get many refugees from socialized systems to insure.
Gee! Won't CA COMMONISM be KUEHL??? Like maybe even GAY, even!!!
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