Have you shared YOUR health insurance “horror story” yet? If you’ve got one, we want to hear it!

Click here & share it today!

Your story will help show State legislators why we need to pass critical State implementation and consumer protection bills here in California. Currently, there are several pieces of legislation that could go to a floor vote in the next week or so.

See below for information on what these bills are and how they’ll help protect California consumers and make our health care system stronger!

Those of particular concern in the State Assembly:

• AB2244 (Feuer): Progressively limits how much private insurers can charge families with children under 19 with so-called “pre-existing conditions” between now and 2014 - when Federal provisions prohibiting all premium differences kick-in.
• AB2578 (Jones): Requires approval from the Department of Managed Health Care OR Department of Insurance whenever private insurance companies attempt to increase the amount of premiums, co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles or other charges under a health plan.
• AB1602 (Perez): Creates the California Cooperative Health Insurance Purchasing Exchange (Cal-CHIPE) and implements a variety of other important provisions of the national health care reform law - including extensions allowing children to be covered by their parents’ plans until age 26.

Those of particular concern in the State Senate:

• SB890 (Alquist & Steinberg): Makes purchasing health plans on the individual market easier by implementing many of the consumer protections in the Federal health care reform law early and includes a strong medical loss ratio so more premium dollars are going to patient care (instead of profits!).
• SB900 (Alquist & Steinberg): Establishes the California Health Insurance Exchange and creates the California Health Insurance Exchange Fund and enables the Exchange to use its bargaining power to negotiate better prices and values for consumers in the exchange.
• SB1163 (Leno): Rate Reviews - Would require health plans to provide, in writing, specific reasons for denial of coverage or for charging higher than the standard rates for coverage.

Today marks the 45th Anniversary of the passing of Medicare! In honor of this occasion, HCAN California and several of our partners, including lead state partner Health Access California, are organizing celebration-events in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco to show our support for Medicare and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act!

Signed by President Johnson on July 30, 1965 - Medicare remains one of the most popular health plans in the country. Currently, there are nearly 5 million California seniors enrolled in the program. Best of all, thanks to provisions in the new health care law, the Medicare program will become significantly better as a result of benefits that make it more efficient and sustainable while also helping to make prescription medicine more affordable for seniors and offering comprehensive preventive care coverage for FREE.

Want to get involved? Join us in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco and help us celebrate Medicare and the new health law!

Click here to RSVP for a celebration event in YOUR city!

Thanks to everyone who showed up yesterday in support of health reform at the rallies in Fresno, Modesto and Stockton in this historic final stretch for bringing about real, comprehensive health reform!

We had a great turnout at all the events, and it appears we definitely sent a strong message to the Central Valley Representatives - thanking them for their previous support and asking them to be our Champions once again!

Check us out in the news:

California Healthcare in the News

August 13 - 14, 2009

Los Angeles Times: California board votes to drop healthcare coverage for 60,000 children

The announcement by state officials that California has enough cash to stop paying bills with IOUs did little to take the sting out of other budget news Thursday: Tens of thousands of poor children are about to lose their healthcare coverage.

Capitol Alert: Despite First 5 funds, Healthy Families expected to roll back coverage

Children’s health care advocates got both a boost and a blow Thursday as the California First 5 Commission announced it would contribute $81.4 million to the state’s Healthy Families health insurance program.

Press-Enterprise: Low-income children on brink of losing health insurance coverage as state budget cuts hit home

Several hundred thousand low-income children face losing their health insurance beginning Oct. 1 under a decision Thursday by the state panel that oversees California’s Healthy Families program.

McKnight’s: Appeals court again sides with healthcare providers over state cuts to Medicaid

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit again has ruled that California’s lawmakers cannot cut reimbursements to the state’s Medicaid program solely because it needs to reduce expenditures.

Sacramento Bee: California lawmaker seeks adults-only restriction on smokeless ‘cigarettes’

Sidestepping laws against smoking in public, Californians now can puff nicotine without lighting up from “cigarettes” that contain no tobacco.

Sacramento Bee: Marysville town hall meeting hears health care opinions

As Republican Rep. Wally Herger told an overflow crowd “this is the greatest threat to our democracy that I’ve ever seen,” a raucous Marysville gathering argued Thursday over whether a national health care system overhaul will insure Americans and curb spiraling medical costs or lead to inferior care and government oppression.

Press-Enterprise: Health forum rallies against Obama plan

Hundreds of supporters cheered and applauded as Rep. Jerry Lewis expanded his criticism of President Barack Obama’s health care plan to include warnings about the federal government’s growing debt.

Daily Breeze: Forum health care clinic needs volunteer dentists, optometrists

More volunteer dentists and optometrists are needed to meet the demands of thousands of patients who have lined up for free medical and dental care offered at The Forum in Inglewood, organizers said Thursday.

Columns and Editorials:

• California Progress Report: Mixed News For Health Families Program
• Calitics: Not-So-Healthy Families
• Los Angeles Times: The sick status quo
• Sacramento Bee: Dan Walters: Smoke tax on Legislature’s agenda as fiscal noose tightens
• Los Angeles Times: President Barack Obama could learn from Franklin D. Roosevelt

National News:

• Los Angeles Times: Senate committee scraps healthcare provision that gave rise to ‘death panel’ claims

California Healthcare in the News

August 10 - 12, 2009

Los Angeles Times: Super-clinic finds super-need in L.A. region

Remote Area Medical Foundation provides free care with volunteer doctors and dentists for unemployed and poor people at an eight-day event at Inglewood’s Forum arena.

Sacramento Bee: Kaiser announces California job cuts

Kaiser Permanente eliminated 1,850 jobs in California on Tuesday, serving notice that the recession is sickening the health care industry at long last.

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Religious umbrella group to lobby Congress for health care reform

Area members of a national network of faith-based community organizations on Tuesday vowed to push congressional delegation members on health-care reform.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Hundred of protesters, supporters show up to Schiff’s health care meeting

Hundreds showed up to a town hall discussion on health care Tuesday night, but by the crowd’s own admission, few came to learn more about the federal health-care legislation.

Sacramento Bee: Don’t forget us, underinsured say

While much of the American health care discussion has focused on providing coverage to the country’s 46 million uninsured, there is growing concern about millions more who are underinsured, or whose policies require them to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket before coverage kicks in.

Columns and Editorials:

• Los Angeles Times: Steve Lopez: Doctor has common-sense fixes to healthcare crisis
• San Francisco Chronicle: Editorial: On Deadly Medical Mistakes: Error report
• San Francisco Chronicle: In business’ best interest - universal health care
• Ventura County Star: Herdt: Fallout from a broken deal
• San Francisco Chronicle: A deal with bad side effects

National News:

• Gallup: Amid Debate, Obama Approval Rating on Healthcare Steady
• Rasmussen Reports: Support for Congressional Health Care Reform Falls to New Low
• Los Angeles Times: Many seniors aren’t sure healthcare system needs repair
• Sacramento Bee: Health care alone can’t make nation healthier, experts say

Have a great day,

Full Court Press Communications

California Healthcare in the News

August 1 - 3, 2009

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento-area parents fear Healthy Families cuts

Cuts in the program could be further deepened by a loss of federal matching funds, which provide two dollars for every state dollar spent on Healthy Families. In total, the program may lose more than $500 million.

(Also check out the Sac Bee photo gallery, Families Cope With State Health Cuts.)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: The health care safety net

Even as private family practices close and some hospitals struggle to stay open, Sonoma County’s seven community clinics are undergoing dramatic growth as they take in even greater numbers of patients who can’t afford care.

California Progress Report: Legislators Challenge Governor Over ‘Crippling, Cascading’ AIDS Cuts

While AIDS service providers met statewide yesterday to grapple with their “extreme shock” over Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last minute cuts to the state Office of AIDS budget, Democrats were publicly challenging the governor’s right to “blue-pencil,” or veto, existing appropriations, while one legislator took aim at the administration’s chief-of-staff for betraying an LGBT community to which she belongs.

San Jose Mercury News: San Jose could save millions by trimming employee health care

With San Jose facing a staggering $90 million deficit in the coming year, city auditors have found a way to save about $20 million a year. But it won’t be popular with city employees.

Santa Rose Press Democrat: Hundreds turn out for free health checkup in Santa Rosa

Hundreds of uninsured children received free checkups, immunizations, dental exams and health care information Sunday at Kaiser Permanente’s fourth annual Neighbors in Health day in Santa Rosa.

Orange County Register: 300 gather to pray for affordable health care

About 300 people from throughout the county got together Sunday and prayed for affordable health care in a vigil that included Christian pastors and a public official.

Columns and Editorials:

• Sacramento Bee: Sandra Lommasson: Health care system isn’t just broken, it’s shameful
• Santa Rose Press Democrat: Editorial: The price of health
• Sacramento Bee: Editorial: Boom in charity care shows why we need reform
• Los Angeles Times: Michael Hiltzik: What’s so great about private health insurance?
• Los Angeles Times: A Canadian doctor diagnoses U.S. healthcare
• New York Times: Editorial: Curbing Runaway Health Inflation

National News:

• New York Times: Two Sides Take Health Care Debate Outside Washington
• Rasmussen Reports: Confidence in U.S. Health Care System Has Grown in Recent Months
• Gallup: Americans on Healthcare Reform: Top 10 Takeaways

Welcome to the official blog of the Health Care for America Now California Coalition!