Contact: Sandra Jackson at (916) 325-1550
“There is still time this year for the governor and the Legislature to work together to create affordable, meaningful health care reform for all Californians. However, time is running out and the governor’s proposal is not the answer. It requires all Californians to buy health insurance without any guarantee of cost or the type of health care services provided. This is an impossible demand when the primary reason people don’t have health insurance is because they can’t afford it.
“The California Teachers Association has been advocating for health care reform for the past several years. The skyrocketing cost of health care is weighing on teachers and working families. Children are absent or coming to school sick because their parents can’t afford the health care that they need. The governor and the Legislature must work together to pass worthwhile health care reform legislation that makes health care more affordable, expands access to all Californians and controls excessive costs.”
CTA is currently a co-sponsor of SB 840 by Senator Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, and supported AB 8 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, which was vetoed by the governor. Both of these bills represented significant steps forward in addressing the health care needs of California.