California Officials Offer Varied Views on House Health Care Reform Bill
California officials and advocates are offering different predictions about how the House’s recently passed health care reform bill (HR 3962) will affect California and the rest of the country, The Hill’s “Blog Briefing Room” reports.
California Lawmakers
California Democratic Reps. Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa praised the House’s health reform bill for allocating new funds to support California health care programs.
After the bill’s passage, Costa announced that he had managed to secure funding for a medical school at UC-Merced with a residency program in Fresno. He said the bill also includes training programs and additional incentives designed to bring more health workers to the San Joaquin Valley.
Cardoza praised the bill’s passage but said additional work will be necessary to lower the legislation’s cost and limit its impact on small businesses (O’Brien, “Blog Briefing Room,” The Hill, 11/9).
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) did not vote for the House reform measure. He said the bill would drive up insurance premiums, raise taxes and increase unemployment levels.
Abortion Coverage Concerns
Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) voted for the House bill because she said it would expand insurance coverage, reduce health care costs and repair the country’s health insurance system.
However, Capps expressed disappointment that the final version of the bill removed her provision about funding for abortion services (Collins, Ventura County Star, 11/8).
Instead, the House version of the bill includes an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that explicitly bars a public health insurance option from covering abortion services.
Although Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) initially voted for the House measure, she said she might withdraw her support if the final bill includes the Stupak amendment (AP/”KPCC News,” Southern California Public Radio, 11/7).
Additional Support for the Bill
Anthony Wright of the advocacy group Health Access California said the House measure will extend coverage to five million Californians who currently lack health insurance. He added that the measure also would help certain populations afford and maintain their insurance coverage (Weiss [1], “KXJZ News,” Capital Public Radio, 11/9).
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) also issued a statement reiterating his support for national health care reform and announcing that he was “very encouraged” by progress in Congress.
Medi-Cal Cost Concerns
However, Schwarzenegger also said a final reform package should not require states to pay an unfair share of the costs (Office of the Governor release, 11/7).
Kim Belshé, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the state currently is struggling to pay for Medi-Cal, its Medicaid program.
Watch the video related to health care reform bill
March 22, 2009 3:11 am 
By Tracy Turnblad, March 22, 2009 @ 3:55 am
First of all, Obama wants to make insurance more available to all and change the system so that it is cheaper. He also wants change so that the insurance companies find it harder to get out of paying for treatment. The system he is proposing looks similar to that which works in Holland and Switzerland where private companies are involved in providing insurance.
Second, of course universal health-cover sucks. That is why we in Western Europe have it. We think, hmm, our healthcare system sucks. I know, lets keep it. I guess that is the same with Japan and Canada as well.
Third, Obama campaigned on reforming the healthcare system. He said he wanted to make insurance more available and he was elected by the American people to do this.
FACT – the US has higher death rates for kids both for kids aged under one and those under five than western European countries with universal health coverage.
FACT – American insurance companies push up prices and work to stop paying out claims on those they cover.
FACT – the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet.
That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in Canada, France, Cuba, Germany, Japan etc, all of which have universal health coverage.
Last of all if you do not like the policies that Obama was elected to bring in, he can always be voted out of office in 2012.
By TomStar81, March 22, 2009 @ 4:57 am
Yes you are talking about TORT reform. the Democrats do not want to touch the Lawyers. it seems the Lawyers are in the democrats pocket.*
By URL Shortener, March 22, 2009 @ 4:10 am
I guess that’d be almost as good as the military jailing everyone. We need someone to recover all the money these politicians have stolen from US ! doughboy
By Youtube Downloader, March 22, 2009 @ 4:15 am
Democrats currently control Congress, (the Senate and the House of Representatives), as well as the WH.
MANY voters are looking forward to voting a LOT of folks OUT in 2010 and also looking forward to voting in 2012!!!
By Youtube Downloader, March 22, 2009 @ 6:51 am
I don’t know why the republicans don’t call on the Military to take over Washington to protect Our Constitution and jail all those who are stealing Our Country right from under US ! Like obama, pelosi, frank, dodd, boxer, waters etc and all those who are riding on that bus. doughboy
By skinnyblink7, March 22, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
the new york times has an interactive feature which is actually very clear to understand. check it out.
By The Conservative Resistance, March 22, 2009 @ 9:14 pm
Under any Democrat President in history, the same M.O. emerges.
The Democrats "identify" a "crisis" and whip the people up into a frenzy about it. They proclaim themselves the carriers of the elixir that will heroically save all mankind from this "crisis.'' When Republicans seek to oppose the spending it will take for this elixir, they are automatically called hate mongers and obstructionists.
Clinton tried it with school lunch menus. He whipped that whole thing into some kind of "crisis." The Democrats wanted to raise the program by 10% and the Republicans wanted to raise it by 7%. That got reported in the media as a 3% CUT by Republicans. Only when a Democrat is President could an INCREASE be reported as a CUT. Just to make Republicans look bad, but too many people buy into the bullshit.
Al Gore, who wasn't even President, tried it with global warming and it didn't work. Today, it's health care. What'll it be tomorrow? The whole "world is ending in 2012" thing, or what?
By Anonymous, March 24, 2009 @ 10:14 am
Thank you for this video!!!
By Short, Fast, and Loud, March 24, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
Obama does not have a bill. He has only given guidelines to what he wants. His last address made it more specific.
The bills in congress are not healthcare bills. They are health coverage bills. The government is trying to take control of a large portion of our economy. They are trying to make it so the government is a single payer source (I know i will get thumbs down for this, but follow hr3200 to its logical conclusion).
The current bills want to cover everybody in the US (Illegals too, there is nothing in these bills to prevent illegals from being covered. Amendments to ensure citizenship were tabled)
The federal government wants to punish you for not having insurance (they will get your money one way or another)
The government wants to regulate what care you will get. (When the system becomes overblaoted as any government system does, they will have 2 options increase taxes or ration care)
I know that there are a lot of people that will disagree with this. If they actually read the bills, and follow to there logical conclusions, in 10 years we will be a whole lot worse of than we are now. So doing nothing would actually be cheaper.
Reform must actually deal with the underlaying problems. HR 320o does not. Obama gave lip service to 1 of them.