Healthcare is a basic human right. The current healthcare system in America is dysfunctional and expensive. The bill that will pass in DC, eventually, will at best point in the direction of the need to make further changes, but most probably it will be the last time healthcare is tackled at the national level for quite a while.
We know that a Single Payer system is by far the best because it pays for itself by cutting down administrative costs to about 3%. And we understand that by allowing a government run insurance company to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies the cost of medicines will be reduced dramatically. In California these two items account for about 50% of all costs.
Single Payer Senate Bill 810 has a chance of becoming a reality in the most populous State. It is being discussed in the California Assembly as we speak.
When this happens other states may follow. And then we will all have healthcare at reasonable costs while maintaining the same quality of a privately run healthcare provider system paid by health insurance managed by the government.
Most Americans support this once they understand how it works.
Below I explain how you can help make SB 810 a reality and prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths.
(The difference between winning and losing in 2010 isn't the mushy middle. The difference is the base. And this is a good start. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
California's Senate Appropriations Cmte passed Mark Leno's SB 810 out of committee, and the Senate will vote on it next week. (UPDATE: make that this week. Started this diary on weekend.) Leno says that the timing is coincidental and not a response to the Brown debacle, but it works for me. SB 810 would create a single-payer, universal health care system in California.
You'll be shocked to learn that Republicans are framing this as Democrats Out of Touch, and it's possible that SB810's supporters will get wobbly. Two things need to happen:
Call the California Senators Calderon, Correa, and Wright and let them know that saving the state billions in waste and fraud is still politically viable - contact info on the flip.
Push back on the corporate narrative - talking points and media links on the flip.
Attack attack attack. If you're not a constituent, call them anyway. Let them know that California can show the rest of the country that Democrats understand we want universal healthcare.
(A great recap of the CDP Convention. If you aren't following Sweet Melissa, you're missing out on some of the most insightful SF political commentary on the web. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
Constant Readers,
In my final post about the California Democratic Convention, Ima write about the saga of Carole Migden and Mark Leno and the fight over who would and (perhaps, more importantly) who would not get the Democratic party endorsement for the District 3 State Senate seat.
Saturday
I've already written about Friday night, so let's start with Saturday. Over breakfast, I wrote a post about Migden's public display of lunacy on Friday night, then dealt with the proxy fiasco. After that, Beth and Brian D. (also proxies) arrived in San Jose and a group of us met up for lunch before we had to go vote. In anticipation of a boring afternoon, the booze flowed liberally as we debated the difference between a "nerd" and a "dork" - which is only something a bunch of nerdy dorks would do. Then we ambled on over to the convention center to engage in some Sauvignon Blanc-fueled heckling.
Here's how it works: before all of the CA delegates vote on whether to endorse a candidate, the candidate's Region has to hold an election to endorse the candidate. In this case it was Region 4 whose delegates needed to vote to endorse Migden or Leno. As the incumbent, Migden only needed 50% + 1 of the number of votes cast by delegates. As the challenger, Leno needed 70% +1 of the total number of votes cast by Region 4 delegates to get the endorsement.
Last night's signature-gathering spectacle was quite the event. During my time outside actually getting some dinner to sustain my convention activities, I saw several Leno gatherers several blocks away from the convention center hunting down delegates--and just about every single time, they were being stalked by Migden supporters. I even heard that one Migden "stalker" followed a Leno gatherer to her hotel room, forcing her to call hotel security.
Charming.
Meanwhile, I just heard a rumor that Ted Kennedy will be coming to speak to the (superdelegates at the) convention to counter Bill Clinton's.
On my way in here this morning, I was sniffed by a dog for the first time.
The Leno people certainly are dedicated; I got a Leno doorhanger under my hotel room at 3am last night (after I finally got back from karaoke and drinks with Robert, Todd and Lucas).
