On January 26, the California State Senate voted twice on SB 810 (Leno) the California Universal Health Care Act, but did not gather enough votes for passage.
On January 26, the California State Senate voted twice on SB 810 (Leno) the California Universal Health Care Act, but did not gather enough votes for passage. SB 810 ultimately failed on a 19-15 vote. Twenty-one (21) votes are needed to pass a majority vote bill in the state Senate.
However, SB 810 was granted "reconsideration" which lets the proponents try one more time to pass the bill next Monday, January 30. Bills introduced last year that do not move into the second house of the Legislature by the end of January 2012 are considered "dead." All Republicans present voted against SB 810. Of critical importance to CAHU, several members of the Senate Democrat caucus refused to place any vote on the bill whatsoever. The key Senators who abstained were Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) Michael Rubio (D-Bakersfield), Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) and Rod Wright (D-Los Angeles).
SB 810 seeks to establish a state-run Single Payer Health Care program. CAHU has continued to urge policymakers to instead focus on the adoption of policies, regulations, and laws needed to assure the success of federal health care reform in California. California is already hard at work implementing the recently enacted the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). PPACA sets out an extensive access program through the establishment of state-run health care Exchanges.
CAHU remains concerned that SB 810, while well-intentioned, is likely to have unintended consequences for California's health care marketplace and on consumers. SB 810 unnecessarily complicates the HBEX process by forcing the state health care system to move in an entirely different direction from the current implementation plan. This will only create confusion for all concerned.
It is also important to note that the new Exchanges have been fully funded with federal dollars through 2014, while California has had, and continues to face, a multi-billion budget shortfall in a down economy. SB 810 will force California to fund an entirely new approach to health care with very limited California-only dollars.
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