Free Republic

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...

Like a lot of voters, 50-year-old Lee Steele of Mountain View is increasingly concerned about the bite health care premiums take out of his paycheck. But he was especially concerned to learn Tuesday that both of the major party candidates for California governor don't support a bill pending in the Legislature that would create a state-run universal health care system. The bill, authored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, would replace -- if fully implemented -- private health care plans with a statewide program that would cover all Californians. It would establish a commission that would develop a plan...

The Assembly narrowly approved a bill Monday that would provide health insurance to all residents, a move that would make California the only state to offer government-operated universal health care. The bill, which passed the 80-member house on a largely party-line vote of 43-30, received strong Democratic backing. But supporters say pressure from the insurance industry and Republican lawmakers is likely to doom the measure when it reaches Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor's office has declined to take a position on the bill, but Schwarzenegger in the past has voiced his opposition to single-payer systems. The bill by Sen. Sheila...

The growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq gives Democrats an unprecedented chance at changing the political leadership in the state and nation, California Democratic Party chairman Art Torres said Thursday. Speaking at the Green Valley Grill, before a room jammed with an appreciative audience of party activists from across the Central Coast, Torres urged the local Democratic leaders to register voters and get them to the polls in November. A high turnout, driven by displeasure over Iraq, could affect state races, even helping Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides oust Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Torres said. Introducing Torres, 28th District Assembly...

August 25 -- Once again, a Santa Monica resident is ahead of the pack, leading the state -- and possibly the nation -- in progressive, and highly controversial, reform. State Senator Sheila Kuehl – often seen tooling around Sunset Park in her red Porsche – is taking a shot at changing legislative and health care history with her “California Health Insurance Reliability Act,” which comes up for a vote in the State Assembly next week, most likely on Monday. “The increasing costs of health insurance premiums are bankrupting our state, our businesses and working families,” Kuehl wrote in an editorial...

No one knows exactly how much Californians spend on health care, but it's somewhere between $150 billion and $200 billion a year. ... Nor do we know exactly how many of California's 37 million residents lack health insurance, but it's somewhere between 6 million and 7 million, one of the nation's largest proportions of medically uninsured, reflecting the state's immense population of illegal immigrants and the multifaceted and diffused nature of its economy. --snip-- ... in the final days of the 2006 legislative session, with the Legislature once again poised to approve a state-operated, universal health care system and Gov....

This month there will be an important and historic vote in the California Assembly, on Senate Bill 840. If passed, and signed by the governor, SB840 will provide comprehensive, high quality health insurance for all Californians. The bill provides for one health insurance plan (single payer) that covers every California resident, high quality care and comprehensive benefits, choice of personal physicians, and affordability for individuals, families and businesses. Incredibly, nearly 7 million Californians lack health insurance during all or part of the year. Roughly 70 percent of these people are employed but do not receive employer-based insurance. Many insured Californians...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The state Senate approved a bill Tuesday to create a universal health care system overseen by an elected commissioner, although many of the details have yet to be worked out. Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, urged senators to send her measure to the Assembly so negotiations can continue, with no funding plan likely to be added until next year. Senators agreed on a 24-14 vote. Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks, said the plan could cost $8 billion and predicted it would result in rationing of health care services. Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said other nations' universal health...

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...