California’s health reform debate is moving forward, but much work remains over the next 8 weeks if we are to win quality, affordable health care this year.

During the next 8 weeks, we need to be sure Senator Yee hears our message loud and clear: we want action this year on health care reform to expand coverage, contain costs and guarantee affordability for all Californians.

For the latest legislative update from Health Access, see below or go to www.health-access.org/blogger.html.

Please join us for an SF & Peninsula coalition planning meeting, to get an update on the pending bills and to plan some concrete actions over the next eight weeks to help win health care we can count on.

WHAT:
It’s OUR Healthcare SF & Peninsula Coalition Planning Meeting

WHEN:
Friday, July 27th, 10am – 12 noon

WHERE:
Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco
649 Mission Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

Please RSVP to Jessica Rothhaar, at jessicar@health-access.org or 510-873-8787 ext. 107.

If you have not already added your name to the list of organizations supporting It’s OUR Healthcare, please do so by filling out and faxing back the attached endorsement form. For more information on the It’s OUR Healthcare campaign, please see www.itsourhealthcare.org.

Please call me if you have any questions:

Jessica Rothhaar
Northern California Organizer
Health Access Foundation
510-873-8787 ext. 107
cell: 415-517-0439
jessicar@health-access.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

Lawmakers passed a flurry of legislation in policy committees this last week before the deadline Friday, including more than a dozen bills of interest to health advocates. Both of the major coverage expansions, SB840 (Kuehl) and AB8 (Nunez/Perata) will advance to Appropriations Committees next, as with many other bills.

AB8 remains a “work in progress,’’ as Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has stated, and he expects more amendments to the proposal as it reaches the Senate Appropriations Committee. During the summer break, which lawmakers are scheduled to take beginning July 20, the legislative leaders will begin the process of negotiating a health deal with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Aside from the major health reform bills, following is a status report on other selected legislation of interest to consumer and health advocates:

Children’s Coverage
AB1 (Laird/Dymally) & SB32 (Steinberg): Would allow children in families up to 300% of poverty to enroll in Healthy Families. This is a repeat of the last version of AB772 (Chan), which was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2005.

• Both passed and are headed to opposite house’s Appropriations Committee

Access to Care
SB275 (Cedillo) Would prevent patient dumping by requiring hospitals to have a written policy on discharging patients, and requiring hospitals to appropriately plan post-discharge care with patients. Also prevents hospitals from moving patients to locations, other than their residence, without the consent of the patient.
• Assembly Appropriations

SB474 (Kuehl) Would extend financing for federal hospital waiver
• Assembly Appropriations

AB2 (Dymally) Would reform and restructure the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Program, for the medically uninsurable, who are denied coverage elsewhere because of “pre-existing conditions.’’ Also restructures the individual insurance market.
• Senate Appropriations

AB12 (Beall) Would create the Adult Health Coverage Expansion Program in Santa Clara County which would be administered by a county or local initiative..
• Senate Appropriations

AB353 (Solorio) Would require the state to disclose names of employers who, rather than providing health coverage, have many of their workers and their families on Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill – AB1840 (Horton) -- last year.
• Senate Appropriations

AB910 (Karnette) Would prevent privately purchased health coverage for mentally or physically disabled children to end at a certain age
• Senate Appropriations

AB1113 (Brownley) Extends and increases eligibility for the Medi-Cal California Working Disabled Program
• Senate Appropriations

SB350 (Runner) Makes technical changes to California’s landmark legislation last year that bans the practice of hospital overcharging
• Assembly Appropriations

Insurance Reforms
AB1155 (Huffman) Allows the Department of Managed Health Care to discipline health plans if they do not pay claims on time.
• Senate Appropriations

AB1324 (DeLaTorre) Would require health plans to justify to DOI or DMHC why they are rescinding health coverage to enrollees. Health plans may not recover costs of care provided to enrollees unless they can prove consumers purposely deceived them.
• Senate Appropriations

AB423(Beall) Would expand Knox Keene to include diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses.
• Senate Appropriations

Prescription Drugs
SB606 (Scott) Would require pharmaceutical companies to disclose clinical trial results for drugs sold in the state.
• Assembly Appropriations

These bills, including have until August 31st to clear the fiscal committees and September 15th to pass both houses of the Legislature, in order to be placed on the Governor's desk this year.