Your help needed for S.B. 562 — The Healthy California Act
While so-called "TrumpCare" is on the poised to de-insure millions of Americans and making things so much worse, we are on the precipice of finding a real solution to the health care crisis here in California. It's big, it's bold, and if you ask people in most other countries, it's obvious — why aren't we there yet? It's called "single payer" health care, and it cuts out the insurance companies and, as happens in Canada, Japan, Taiwan, France, etc., you get to choose your own doctor and health care provider and the government picks up the tab. By cutting out the insurance company "middleman" it will save money in a big way — and It will save so many lives, and get rid of the headaches we've all come to know and not love — pre-existing conditions, crazy high deductibles, unaffordable co-pays, and so forth.
Can you believe — we live in the richest country in the world — and in California, the 6th biggest economy in the world — and yet our citizens have to cut pills in half, use GoFundMe to pay for necessary procedures — or, forgo them altogether. All to make the insurance companies richer and richer. This has to stop!
The solution is S.B. 562. Its support is growing and growing. At the California Democratic Convention I went to last weekend (read my full report), backing for S.B. 562 was ragingly enthusiastic up and down the state by politically aware Californians.
The problem is that even though the California legislation is filled with a supermajority of Democrats — who you would expect to be in favor of this — many of them are so influenced by the status quo controlled by big corporations with deep pockets that they are shy about passing this. They need our encouragement.
The bill — which is up for a vote in the State Senate in Sacramento as soon as this coming Tuesday — needs our support. It needs YOUR support, and it needs you to contact other Californians and get THEIR support. And the support it needs is to make a phone call to our state senators, talking to a friendly intern who answers the phone, and asking them to support SB 562.
The senators especially who especially need convincing are Cannella, Dodd, Glazer, Newman, Pan, Roth, and Vidak. If you know people in their districts it would be especially helpful to get them on-board!
Canella (R) #12 (Merced, Monterey, Madeira, Stanisaus, Fresno)
Glazer (D), #7 (Contra Costa, eastern Alameda)
Dodd (D) #3 (Contra Costa, Napa Solano Sonoma, Yolo)
Newman (D) #29 (Orange county & nearby)
Pan (D) #6 (Sacto, Yolo County)
Roth (D) #31 (Riverside)
Vidak (R) #14 (Fresno/Kern/Kings/Tulare)
To call, use the chart below if you already know who to call. But the easier way is to go to this amazing web page that will figure it all out for you. Call, and leave a message or ask the person answering the phone to request your state senator to support SB 562, the Healthy California Act. You might need to tell them your name and where you live so they know you are a constituent. That's all!
Need more Information?
Here is some more information about SB 562 in case you need to be convinced yourself!
WHAT IS A SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE PROGRAM?
Healthy California is a universal single-payer healthcare program that would provide publicly funded and progressively financed healthcare coverage for all California residents with no network restrictions, deductibles, co-pays, or other limitations on necessary care. This means that a single public body — the Healthy California program — rather than an array of private insurers would pay for the healthcare costs of all California residents.
Healthcare benefits under Healthy California would apply universally to all California residents, establishing a single standard of safe and therapeutic care. Healthcare would no longer be limited by the narrow terms of an insurance plan or premiums paid to an insurance company. Because insurance premiums would be replaced with progressive financing, there would be no out-of-pocket costs to access care when you need it. Gatekeeper obstacles to receiving care — like insurance pre-authorization requirements, lifetime or annual limits, or network restrictions — would also be eliminated.
WHO WOULD BE COVERED UNDER HEALTHY CALIFORNIA?
All California residents would be eligible and entitled to enroll in Healthy California regardless of age, income, wealth, employment, or other status — everybody in, nobody out.
WOULD I BE ABLE TO CHOOSE OR KEEP MY OWN DOCTOR?
Yes. Everyone enrolled would have complete choice of provider. Members would choose a primary care practitioner or other provider to handle their care coordination — helping to navigate the system and helping to get the care, follow-up, or referrals the patient needs.
WOULD I STILL HAVE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS, LIKE DEDUCTIBLES AND MONTHLY INSURANCE PREMIUMS?
No. Healthy California members would not be charged insurance premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. Participating healthcare providers and care coordinators would be prohibited from charging any rate, co-pay, deductible, or other fee in excess of the payment established under the Healthy California program for healthcare services provided to members.
WOULD ALL HEALTHCARE SERVICES BE PUBLICLY RUN?
No. The Healthy California Board, an independent public entity, would administer payments from the California Health Trust Fund to healthcare providers and care coordinators, whether private or public, for healthcare services provided to members. Rates of payments and payment methodologies would be negotiated by Healthy California with healthcare providers and drug manufacturers. Administration of Healthy California and the California Health Trust Fund would be state-based.
Thank you for making it to the end. Let's have California lead the nation!
Can you believe — we live in the richest country in the world — and in California, the 6th biggest economy in the world — and yet our citizens have to cut pills in half, use GoFundMe to pay for necessary procedures — or, forgo them altogether. All to make the insurance companies richer and richer. This has to stop!
The solution is S.B. 562. Its support is growing and growing. At the California Democratic Convention I went to last weekend (read my full report), backing for S.B. 562 was ragingly enthusiastic up and down the state by politically aware Californians.The problem is that even though the California legislation is filled with a supermajority of Democrats — who you would expect to be in favor of this — many of them are so influenced by the status quo controlled by big corporations with deep pockets that they are shy about passing this. They need our encouragement.
The bill — which is up for a vote in the State Senate in Sacramento as soon as this coming Tuesday — needs our support. It needs YOUR support, and it needs you to contact other Californians and get THEIR support. And the support it needs is to make a phone call to our state senators, talking to a friendly intern who answers the phone, and asking them to support SB 562.
The senators especially who especially need convincing are Cannella, Dodd, Glazer, Newman, Pan, Roth, and Vidak. If you know people in their districts it would be especially helpful to get them on-board!
Canella (R) #12 (Merced, Monterey, Madeira, Stanisaus, Fresno)
Glazer (D), #7 (Contra Costa, eastern Alameda)
Dodd (D) #3 (Contra Costa, Napa Solano Sonoma, Yolo)
Newman (D) #29 (Orange county & nearby)
Pan (D) #6 (Sacto, Yolo County)
Roth (D) #31 (Riverside)
Vidak (R) #14 (Fresno/Kern/Kings/Tulare)
To call, use the chart below if you already know who to call. But the easier way is to go to this amazing web page that will figure it all out for you. Call, and leave a message or ask the person answering the phone to request your state senator to support SB 562, the Healthy California Act. You might need to tell them your name and where you live so they know you are a constituent. That's all!
Need more Information?
Here is some more information about SB 562 in case you need to be convinced yourself!
WHAT IS A SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE PROGRAM?
Healthy California is a universal single-payer healthcare program that would provide publicly funded and progressively financed healthcare coverage for all California residents with no network restrictions, deductibles, co-pays, or other limitations on necessary care. This means that a single public body — the Healthy California program — rather than an array of private insurers would pay for the healthcare costs of all California residents.
Healthcare benefits under Healthy California would apply universally to all California residents, establishing a single standard of safe and therapeutic care. Healthcare would no longer be limited by the narrow terms of an insurance plan or premiums paid to an insurance company. Because insurance premiums would be replaced with progressive financing, there would be no out-of-pocket costs to access care when you need it. Gatekeeper obstacles to receiving care — like insurance pre-authorization requirements, lifetime or annual limits, or network restrictions — would also be eliminated.
WHO WOULD BE COVERED UNDER HEALTHY CALIFORNIA?
All California residents would be eligible and entitled to enroll in Healthy California regardless of age, income, wealth, employment, or other status — everybody in, nobody out.
WOULD I BE ABLE TO CHOOSE OR KEEP MY OWN DOCTOR?
Yes. Everyone enrolled would have complete choice of provider. Members would choose a primary care practitioner or other provider to handle their care coordination — helping to navigate the system and helping to get the care, follow-up, or referrals the patient needs.
WOULD I STILL HAVE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS, LIKE DEDUCTIBLES AND MONTHLY INSURANCE PREMIUMS?
No. Healthy California members would not be charged insurance premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. Participating healthcare providers and care coordinators would be prohibited from charging any rate, co-pay, deductible, or other fee in excess of the payment established under the Healthy California program for healthcare services provided to members.
WOULD ALL HEALTHCARE SERVICES BE PUBLICLY RUN?
No. The Healthy California Board, an independent public entity, would administer payments from the California Health Trust Fund to healthcare providers and care coordinators, whether private or public, for healthcare services provided to members. Rates of payments and payment methodologies would be negotiated by Healthy California with healthcare providers and drug manufacturers. Administration of Healthy California and the California Health Trust Fund would be state-based.
WHAT TYPES OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES WOULD BE COVERED?
All medical care determined to be medically appropriate by your healthcare provider would be covered. Covered healthcare benefits for Healthy California members would include, at minimum: [See List].
About a dozen more questions are answered here. You can also read more and get further involved on the Healthy California Website.Thank you for making it to the end. Let's have California lead the nation!
posted by ProgAla | 8:46 PM
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