I am hearing that California will have a new state health care plan in place by next Tuesday. Apparently the “Big 5” will be working over the weekend to make this happen.
The state health plan will be a revised version of the one advanced by Fabian Nunez. Apparently Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is VERY anxious to approve the new state health plan. He has been its prime mover.
A pajarito also told me that GOP State Senators Abel Maldonado and Dick Ackerman will vote for the plan. This will likely end Ackerman’s reign as head of the GOP State Senate Caucus.
The Republican State Senate Caucus will be besides itself on Tuesday – they will be in full meltdown mode. Too bad. I agree with Schwarzenegger that health care in our state needs massive reform. We have over six million residents without health insurance. And most of them are here legally.
Imagine if we have a huge earthquake, or the pandemic flu develops and strikes our country? Our health system will go bankrupt trying to help people with no insurance. Now more than ever we need to put a plan in place. I applaud the Governor for making this happen!
A guy who appears to be moving up the ranks of state GOP leadership is Roger Niello. Keep an eye on him. He has been spending a lot of time with Ackerman of late.
We have over six million residents without health insurance. And most of them are here legally.
Really?
This story,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/08/29/MN91RR0GB.DTL
states that 6.8 million Californians lack insurance,and the INS estimates that roughly 7 million illegal aliens live in California.
Do you really expect us to believe that only 200,000 legal residents of California lack insurance?
Great, I just can’t wait to sit in long lines and delay important surgeries because of socialized medicine. I can’t wait until we start importing doctors from other countries when our native-born docs go into other lines of work because the pay and bureaucracy are so terrible.
Art, why should we provide ILLEGAL aliens with medical care? Why can’t they get their medical care from their home countries?
6:06 We already sit in long lines, and most of our Dr’s are originally from other countries. A Universal healthplan would cut out the red tape that is currently plauging offices and clinics in the U.S.
My father is a WWII veteran and has private insurance. Because of costs and plan changes, after he had a seizure, he had to wait two weeks to have a cardioligist approved for him.
This is after he spent 2 weeks in intensive care, much of the time on life support monitored by several Dr’s including heart specialists. But due to paperwork and insurance companies redtape, it took two more weeks for him to be started on a long-term recovery plan.
As I’ve been taking him to all his many appointments I’ve been talking with many seniors. While the stories are different, the problems seem the same. Patients are run around for refferals/approvals/evaluations when the Dr’s know what is wrong with the patients but need to meet plan providers guidelines before adequate service is provided.
These people are the insured! These are lucky ones! These have the money to pay for plans, or gap plans, and can afford the co-pays and medicines. And still roadblocks are put in the way of quality healthcare.
This system must be fixed! At this point we need to be ready for just about anything!
By the way, I spent a month last year learning about issues with Medicare Part ‘D’ and the problems with that implementation.
In fact during a seminar with the head of California’s efforts we challenged him to call the helpline and get answers to some very basic questions. The Director was on hold for 4 hours! Our meetings ended and he agreed the system was broken. I believe this director has since stepped down.
Just asking:
You are exactly right…here in
richy rich Newport Beach…if you
try to go to the Emergency room
at Hoag Hospital…the wait is
way over 6 hours. People forget
that when the infrastructure is
not designed for a giant influx
of unintended workers…from
where ever……the roads, schools
and hopitals will all be
overcrowded.
I lived for 22 two years in the state sponsored health system.
It sucks!
But you must try it to believe it.
Just asking,
A state-sponsored health care system is not the answer. That will only make things worse…ask anyone who lives in Canada. If their system is so great, then why do so many of them come south of border to receive medical attention? Socialism only works on paper….it has neve worked in real life.
this is hillary care . fabian nunez is a clown . illegas dont deserve health care unles its a life n death crisis ..