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Single Payer Falls 2 Votes Short In California Senate
Four Democrats Sit Out Critical Vote
When California's SB 810 -- Single Payer Health Care for California passed through the California Senate's Appropriations Committee by a 6-2 vote last week, activists thought they had an excellent chance to get the "Medicare for All" bill passed by the full Senate.
Health care advocates gathered for a rally to call for a single payer health care plan at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. Hundreds of doctors, nurses, medical students , seniors and their supporters demonstrated in support of the passage of SB810 which would establish a Medicare for All / Single Payer health care system in California. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Yesterday, however, four Democrats sat out the critical vote, leaving the bill short 2 votes of the 21 votes needed for passage. 19 Democrats voted yes, 15 Republicans and 1 Democrat voted no. And the key remaining four Democrats abstained.
SB 810 can be brought up again under “Reconsideration” next Tuesday, January 31, 2012.
Single Payer Now is urging that pressure be put on the 4 Democrats who didn't vote:
The following 4 Senators abstained from even casting a vote on this extremely important piece of legislation.
Senator Alex Padilla (Pacoima/LA area)
Email: Senator.Padilla@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651‑4020
Senator Juan Vargas (San Diego area)
Email: Juan.Vargas@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651‑4040
Senator Michael Rubio (Fresno/Bakersfield area)
Email: Michael.Rubio@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651‑4016
Senator Rod Wright (Los Angeles area)
Email: Senator.Wright@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651‑4025
Check here to see if you are represented by these senators.
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The Los Angeles Times reports:
State lawmakers deadlocked Thursday over a controversial measure that would provide universal healthcare in California.
"Clearly, the current system is not working for businesses, for employers, for employees, for families" -- Sen. Mark LenoIn a vote in which some Democrats did not participate, the measure received only 19 of the 21 votes needed for passage in the Senate, but it was put over for another possible vote next week. [...]
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) noted that some people have argued there is no need for state legislation because the federal government has already approved an affordable healthcare system to begin in 2014.
But Leno said states are allowed to provide greater healthcare under that system, and that California should act because the courts are considering lawsuits to overturn the federal plan.
Leno said SB 810 is needed because healthcare premiums have increased five times the rate of inflation in the last decade and 12 million Californians went without coverage during some time last year.
"Clearly, the current system is not working for businesses, for employers, for employees, for families," he said.
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64 Comments so far
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I got two words for California: Prop 13. That's where it all started.
And, BTW, CA is taxing too much as it is. 10% state tax plus the enormous sales tax you get everywhere.
This whole bullshit, that taxes are bad, especially taxes on the wealthy, is from the poisonous brain and pen of Governor and then President, Ronald Reagan. Well, not exactly…he carried the snake oil for the emergent right wing devil's spawn of the likes Reverend Moon (yes that's what I said), and Leo Strauss with some of his students becoming the neocon signers of the Project for a New American Century. The next time you listen to that prick William Kristol, or Grover Norquist, think Leo Strauss. The next time you get a whiff of Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Ralph Reed, Donald Rumsfeld, think Leo Strauss.
Just think how criminal it is that we have 12 million California residents without access to health care and a program that has been carefully thought through for more than a decade which covers everyone and costs billions less is ready on the shelf.
The corporate media doesn't get behind OneCare because they are paid off, the politicians are paid off, meanwhile millions of children go to bed with a toothache and tens of thousands of people die for lack of medical treatment. California OneCare would, believe it or not, go a long way toward balancing the California budget.
Someone mentioned that single payer like Medicare is the lowest cost way to deliver health care. It is actually the second best in that regard. A system like the Veterans Administration, where the health care workers are salaried and do not charge a fee for service is actually even more economical than a single payer that is still saddled with the corrupting and terribly expensive fee for service model. Public health in Great Britain and Australia is structured like a VA system for everyone. Money does not change hands when a person goes for health care. They are not even set up to bill or accept payments when you go to a clinic or doctor's office.
We know something is dreadfully wrong when 16% of the infamous 1% is composed of doctors.
Short version: The fix is in.
I would describe it as engineering the vote. According to this scheme, Dems can vote on behalf of their constituents' views only when it doesn't conflict with the positions of the Party's corporate donors. In the case of this California vote, the insurance industry's position made it necessary to adjust the vote total. It's win-win for the Dem Party. They get the money, and voter fealty is assured by having the vote appear to be close. In an honest country, people would call this graft.
Leave it to democrats to Again and again and again
lose by a majority.
Brilliant!
They know that at least one of tne of the abstainers, Juan Vargas, was put in office by the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.
Their fellow Democrats didn't want them to be too lonely out there on the branch of Reconsideration, however, so 2 more Democrats joined them on Tuesday, making it six of them, total. According to a poster at Democratic Underground, that was Correa and Calderon feeling sorry for the 4 cop outs listed in this article who lived up to expectation on Tuesday, as well.
The Democratic Party has completely morphed beyond recognition. It's only a matter of time before another party splits off. That will probably happen with the Republicans, too, I'd guess.
Thanks for this article.