Article by Len Feldman
CTA is calling on the governor and the Legislature to pass health care reform sooner rather than later.
“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,” says CTA President David A. Sanchez. “However, time is running out, and the governor’s proposal is not the answer.”
On Oct. 31, after months of delay, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health care proposal was presented to a legislative committee for review. CTA and coalitions of labor, consumer and business organizations quickly determined that the governor’s current proposal is not the solution the state needs.
The governor’s proposal would require all Californians to buy health insurance without any guarantee of the 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,” says Sanchez.
In the weeks since the governor called the Legislature into a special session on health care reform, CTA and its coalition partners have been pressing the governor and lawmakers to adopt a plan in line with long-held CTA goals. The state needs “worthwhile health care reform legislation that makes health care more affordable, expands access to all Californians and controls excessive costs,” says Sanchez.
CTA is currently co-sponsoring SB 840 by Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles), a two-year bill that’s expected to see further action during the regular legislative session that starts in January.
CTA also supported AB 8 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland). The comprehensive reform measure was recently vetoed.
At press time, a new Democratic bill was being introduced. It includes the principles of AB 8 “while meeting the governor halfway on other key elements of reform,” according to a news release.
With the skyrocketing cost of health care weighing heavily on teachers and working families, CTA has been advocating for health care reform for several years. Key measures that would have vastly expanded health care and held down costs have made it through the Legislature in recent years, but none has survived the governor’s scrutiny.
“Children are absent or coming to school sick because their parents can’t afford the health care that they need,” says Sanchez. “It’s time to get serious.”
