The Honourable Bill Monning, Chair, Assembly Health Committee
The California Universal Healthcare Act SB810, the single payer bill which would bring an improved Medicare for all healthcare system to California, is stuck in the Assembly Rules committee. After the California Senate passed the bill by a 22-14 majority in January, the bill was transferred to the Assembly Rules committee where all bills begin their path to the Assembly floor. And there it has sat. The Assembly Rules committee, chaired by Nancy Skinner (AD14-D), advances all bills to their appropriate assembly committees (SB810 would first move to Appropriations committee and the Health committee before finally arriving on the Assembly floor for a full vote).
PNHP California requests all single payer supporters to contact their legislators to voice their support for SB810. Feel free to copy the text below in sending your email, fax or letter to your assembly member (look up your assembly member here). Also forward the letter to others who support guaranteed healthcare for all Californians by removing the wasteful for-profit private insurance system that stands between patients and physicians.
SAMPLE ORGANIZATION/INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT LETTER
SB 810, the California Universal Health Care Act
Directions: Please use the following letter as a template for your own personalized support letter.
1. Place your letter on organizational letterhead (if it’s from an organization).
2. Mail, fax or email the letter to Assembly Health Committee
a. Email: AssemblyHealthCommittee@asm.ca.gov
b. Fax: (916) 319-2197
3. Please cc: Senator Leno at (916) 445-4722 or email at senator.leno@sen.ca.gov
4. You may also mail or fax the letter to your own legislator found at www.leginfo.ca.gov.
May 18, 2010
The Honorable Bill Monning
Chair, Assembly Health Committee
State Capitol, Room 6005
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 319-2197
Dear Assemblymember Monning:
I am writing to express my organization’s strong support for single payer, universal health care and for SB 810, the California Universal Health Care Act. I urge your support for this important legislation and
request that you work hard to bring it to the Governor’s desk this year.
Passage of federal health reform has greatly increased the importance of California’s advocacy for
universal health care. Federal health reform is the tipping point for health reform, not the end goal.
Single payer remains the gold standard for health care reform and is the only model that will achieve truly universal coverage. SB 810 will dramatically reduce premiums for businesses and families, will cover all medically necessary health care, will eliminate the risk of medical bankruptcy, and is proven to contain health care spending over the long term. Importantly, SB 810 will save California businesses and state and local government millions of dollars in employee health care costs and is the only plan that responsibly funds retiree health care.
Around the world, every wealthy nation except the United States achieves universal health care through some variation of a single payer model of health care. All other nations spend far less than we do and in return receive higher quality care and more of it. California families and employers can no longer afford to foolishly waste 30% of every health care dollar on a private health insurance bureaucracy designed to minimize the payment of claims instead of maximizing the health of the people.
SB 810 would dramatically increase patient choice and provider competition by guaranteeing every Californian total choice over his or her doctors and hospitals instead of the narrow provider networks that restrict choice today. SB 810 would significantly lower health premiums for businesses and families that are struggling to pay unaffordable premiums that rise as much as 40% every year. This legislation will help middle and lower income families and businesses that are the backbone of California’s economy. SB 810 will create jobs, ease the burden on California’s budget and improve health care for every single Californian. I urge your support.
Sincerely,
Name
Organization