When Washington DC Fails: A California Statewide Health Insurance Option

I expect the Obama-Congress health care legislation to either fail to pass or be so attenuated that it will not remotely cover the nation's 47 million medically uninsured; to be offensive to many in its prosciptions on reproductive health services; to not dramatically curb health insurance or actual health care delivery costs; to not include a meaningful public insurance option; and, to have at most a negligible effect on the quality and availability of this nation's health care services.

A friend of 4 decades on the White House staff advises to "get your lefty friends on board because the alternatives are scary". She believes a health bill will pass and can be improved over the next several years (decades?) as it is tweaked by each new Congress. (In her world, perhaps health industry lobbyists don't exist or have no influence).

I was one of Gov. Jerry Brown's Commissioners on the California Health Facilities Commission from 1977-1982. We oversaw financial reporting and collected patient data from 646 hospitals and 1220 nursing homes. That was all of them except 7 state hospitals. (Health industry lobbyists and a Republican Governor eventually killed off the Commission in the late 1980s as it's cost data portraying an out of control health care system became increasingly embarrassing).

At one point, in 1978, a small group of state officials and consumer advocates tried to raise the $1 million it would take to have a public health insurance system put on the ballot in California. We failed to raise enough funds to hire an election firm to gather the signatures necessary to qualify such an initiative. The Governor wasn't supportive at that time but not because of any philosophical or political problem--he just didn't think it would pass in the Proposition 13 "era of limits".

Now may be the time to try again.

The spectacle of the Rep. Bart Stupak, Sens. Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Charles Grassley and 39 small state Democratic Congresspersons of Washington DC holding 37 million Californians hostage should give us ample cause to "opt out" of that world. California is large enough and diverse enough to provide for its own as do many industrialized nations of similar size and much less wealth than we have.

Citizenship in this country should be a two-way street. We should all pay our fair share of taxes but in return should expect our security to be protected from enemies foreign and domestic, our children to be educated to compete in a global economy, the inevitable natural disasters overcome, and our legitimate medical needs met or guaranteed so we can be healthy enough to contribute to our family and society.

That's the social contract that we should expect. Any takers?

 

Follow Richard Walden on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Rwalden63

Comments

[Awake-and-Sing]

I'm all for this. Canada's health care system started with one province.

If the opt-out clause becomes part of this trillions of dollars of corporate welfare, than doesn't that mean that not only conservative states can opt out, but progressive states can opt out as well because they have an even better option for the people in their state?

[Solandraguy]

How many states have a Dem Gov and clear Dem legislature control Start it up there. Then play dominos. A Progressive Organization might want to get this going.

[joetherealist]

I would love it if we could put something along the lines of H.R. 676 on the ballot. If we could get past the health scare lobby and the neanderpublicans in the valley it would mean a multi billion dollar stimulus and we could get rid of insurance companies for good. it just might save our great state.

[ReedYoung]

Sign me up.

[Sharon Corcoran]

I live in CA - I would support a contract like that- I think we dropped the ball when we let the tea party protestors take over the dialogue- We needed 100,000 or more in DC to outnumber them. We need to be vocal and show up- I know that this economy makes it tough for people to travel and stay in hotels. There are enough people in DC and surrounding areas that support Healthcare Reform that could of showed up- One thing we forget we do have the power if we all join forces stay united- don't get discouraged and show up. It has to be large numbers- I was at the pro-choice march in DC several yrs ago- people showed up- In Sweden 90% of the people vote so the politicians listen- We don't need to split apart we lose power that way-We are starting to do what we have always done give up and let special interest hold our country hostage-

[Osusuki]

It's been tried, friend. I wish you well, but until you get rid of the Austrian Menace in the Governor's Mansion, you can do whatever you want and the head girly man will just brush it away with the stroke of a veto pen. So pass your initiative. I support you. Just don't cry so much when Arnold or some other Republican knuckle dragger refuses to enforce it because it's too expensive and there's a recession on.

And just in case, you think Governor Moonbeam 2.0 will take over and make everything wonderful, I would remind you of just how quickly and completely he threw in the towel after Prop 13 was passed. I really don't have any hope for California. The population just is not evolved enough for self government.

[propitiousmoment]

That is a campaign that I would actively support. There ought to be *something* good come out of CA's crazy-quilt direct democracy process. On the other hand, these things tend to not be well written, or to have some kind of spoiler included, along the lines of the abortion amendment to the House bill. If you're going to do it, better make sure it's done right or you will set the state back another eon.

[jemeagirl]

I am and I live in CA. How do we go about that?