We are at the 11th hour of the 2007 California Legislative Session-- and it is the "moment of truth" for healthcare reform. We are coming down to the wire, and have been told that there will be a vote in the state Senate on AB8 (Nunez/Perata) this afternoon. While UU Legislative Ministry Action Network continues to support a single-payer health care system (SB840), such legislation does not yet have the necessary support of 2/3rds of the legislature.

AB8, which requires only a simple majority for approval, can help us take some significant steps this year on the road toward affordable health care for all. It is not perfect, but, as amended, it is well worth supporting (details below).

Please call your State Senator this afternoon to let him/her know what you think.

Blessings,
Rev. Lindi Ramsden
UU Legislative Ministry Action Network

(See special note to small business)

Weigh In on California Health Care - Today

Last Chance to Urge Lawmakers to Pass Health Care Bill

Passage of  AB 8 “Health Care Coverage” (Nunez/Perata) would be historic, since it would:

• Extend health insurance to 3.6 million uninsured Californians, resulting in the biggest expansion of public health coverage, since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid 40 years ago
• Set a minimum level of employer contribution to health care, a step toward social justice that is as significant as establishing the minmum wage that is comparable to the setting a minimum wage for workers.
• Create new oversight on insurers requiring them to spend 85% of premiums on healthcare, not profit and overhead —a key to any health care reform package

UU Legislative Ministry Action Network joins Health Access, which has led the It’s Our Healthcare Coalition, in supporting AB8, as it has now been amended. While not perfect, is definitely worthy of our support.

Although we recognize it is only a partial solution, and it still leaves the private insurance system in tact, we don’t want to ask millions who could benefit from partial reforms to wait until the political will can be built for comprehensive change. Many people will suffer and die waiting. We believe that partial reforms such as AB8 can also serve as significant stepping-stones toward more comprehensive solutions to the healthcare crisis.

Compehensive proposals require additional taxes, and thus must get a two-thirds approval in both houses of the legislature. This is all but impossible right now, given the anti-tax pledges made by Republican lawmakers.

AB8 is an effort to get some reforms passed this year—with only a majority vote required for approval.

There is opposition to AB8 from both the insurance industry on the right and some single payer supporters on the left, such as the California Nurses Association.

We realize that UUs who share similar values can arrive at different conclusions about how to best address our state’s health care crisis. Whatever happens in the next few hours, healthcare reform will continue to be an arena that will require continued public engagement by all people of conscience.

Please call your State Senator and/or the Governor right now, and let them know what you think.

The UU Legislative Ministry Action Network's message is “We believe that AB8, as amended, is a reasonable, and important next step to achieving affordable healthcare for all Californians and we encourage your support." (Be sure to tell say who you are and where you are calling from).

Thank you for your hard work in bringing the need for healthcare reform to the public light.

Here are some opposing views - note that some of the critiques from the CA Nurses Association were before the bill was amended last Friday - we would not have supported AB8 if it had not been amended to make it affordable. 

AB 8 Health Care As Amended: Calling the Question, Point of Information...
California Progress Report, by Anthony Wright ED of Health Access California
September 10, 2007

California Nurses Urge Rejection of Flawed Health Reform Bill, AB-8
California Nurses Association, Press Release
August 31, 2007

A Special Message to Small Businesses

Call to Action for Small Business Owners/Managers

UU Legislative Ministry Action Network wants to encourage s asking owners and managers of small businesses in California to sign a statement of support for comprehensive health care reform.

The statement of support is part of an effort by a coalition, known  as California Business for Affordable Health Care (CBAHC), to demonstrate support for health care reform in the small business community.

Recently, CBAHC released a survey showing the small business community is largely in favor of comprehensive health care reform. This undercuts the widespread but erroneous notion that
small business owners are opposed to meaningful health care reform. Our elected leaders need to understand that small business owners are not opposed to reform.

Click Here to Sign the Statement

Find out more about CBAHC

 

 

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