Legislative Update - theWeekly 02/05/2010

EVENTS

SEP

Evaluation Group Meeting on Mental Health Services

Sacramento

SEP

Public Meeting on Teaching Dental Staff New Duties

Sacramento

SEP

Online Discussion Examines Impacts of Health Reform

Online

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FROM THE FOUNDATION

Quality of Care Woes Persist in California

Despite a heightened focus on patient safety in recent years, a new CHCF Almanac report finds that although incremental gains have been made, California is still grappling with quality improvement.

HIT Adoption Among California Dentists

What's the level of interest among California dentists in adopting health information technology, such as electronic dental health records, and how many are already making use of such systems? This snapshot of survey data provides some answers.

Health Care Reform's Formidable Challenge

A new Health Affairs analysis and commentary finds that while federal health care reform promises to overhaul the U.S. health care system, it does not adequately address growing Medicare spending.

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Friday, February 05, 2010

Single-Payer Bill Clears Senate, But Draws Fire

The California Senate's recent approval of legislation aimed at laying the groundwork for a single-payer health care system in California has elicited a veto threat from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and strong criticism from newspaper editorial boards across the state.

Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced SB 810 last year, but the bill was put on hold during the state's previous budget negotiations. The bill is nearly identical to two other single-payer proposals that have passed through the Legislature in recent years.

Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed both previous measures.

Moreover, Leno said that if a single-payer system wins approval from California's next governor, the state's insurance companies likely would mount a campaign to overturn the legislation with a ballot measure.

The San Diego Union-Tribune and the Contra Costa Times blasted the resurrection of the bill in editorials, citing the state's budget deficit and Massachusetts voters' election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate after he pledged to oppose national health care reform legislation under consideration in Congress.

Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California, also came out against the bill this week, arguing that it is a distraction from another round of proposed health care budget cuts in California.

Nonetheless, Leno remains committed to the cause.

"The real impetus behind this bill is a growing grassroots movement representing millions of Californians who want a health care system that takes care of their families and is affordable for themselves and employers," he said. "At a time when millions of Californians are at risk of losing their health coverage and employers are being strangled by rising premiums, there is no choice but to stand up to insurance companies that squander 30% of every health care dollar on administrative overhead."

Health Plans

Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara) has introduced SB 900 (Bill status, 1/26). The measure would establish the California Health Insurance Exchange within the state Health and Human Services Agency. Under the proposal, the insurance exchange would offer coverage through participating health plans and establish certain enrollment criteria and processes (Bill text, 1/26).

Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) has introduced SB 921 and SB 922 (Bill status, 2/1). SB 921 would declare legislative intent to enact a measure that would allow Shasta County to adjust employer contributions to public employee health care benefits. SB 922 would declare intent to make the same changes in Placer County (Bill text, 2/1).

Medi-Cal

SB 771 also by Alquist would adjust an existing law that allows children ages 19 and younger to qualify for a six-month continuous extension of Medi-Cal coverage. The bill would make the changes in order to draw down federal funds from the 2009 federal economic stimulus law (Bill text, 1/26). The measure is before the Assembly (Bill status, 1/28).

Doctors and Nurses

Assembly member Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) has introduced AB 1703 (Bill status, 2/1). The measure would expand an existing state educational loan repayment program for nurses. Under the proposal, participating nurses could qualify for an additional loan assumption of up $5,000 annually if they complete five or more years of service at a state-run veterans home (Bill text, 2/1).