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SB 810 Legislative Action Alert
March 18, 2009
SB 810 (Senator Mark Leno): Socialized Medicine
Position: Strongly OPPOSE
Status: In Senate
Summary of Concern:
SB 810 is an aggressive plan to bring socialized medicine, as promoted by Hillary Clinton, into California. SB 810 is essentially identical to SB 840 previously introduced in 2005 and again in 2007. SB 810 will replace private health insurance with a mandatory state-controlled health insurance and service delivery system for every California resident. SB 810 will: 1) force every California resident above poverty level to pay a state insurance premium (hidden tax); 2) destroy the current system of choices of health care coverage; 3) drive up the cost of health care; 5) reduce the quality of available health care; 6) create a new huge government bureaucracy that will make life and death medical decisions; and 7) place all final health care decisions in the hands of a single government board and its commissioner.
Additionally under SB 810, highly objectionable services such as abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia could be funded. Mandatory psychiatric exams for everyone could become required as a result of funding from this bill. The results of this exam could later be used against you and your family.
Action Items:
WRITE your State Senator as soon as possible. Ask him or her to vote No on SB 810.
Refer to the General Instructions for Contacting State Legislators on page 2 of this Alert.
Notes:
* Write as a concerned citizen. This bill affects all families.
* Do not disclose the source of this Alert. All bills are available on the internet.
* For your letters, you can use the Reasons to Oppose stated below, but this is not necessary.
* Because e-mails are usually ignored, letters and calls are significantly more effective.
* KEEP this Alert as a reference for future HELP Tree Alerts.
* Reprint or forward this to your friends, church, school, and group.
* Pray for a proper outcome.
Background Information:
• SB 810 would create the “California Healthcare System” to be administered by an autonomous agency, the “California Healthcare Agency,” under the direction of the “Healthcare Commissioner” who would be appointed by the Governor.
• SB 810 would establish the “California Healthcare Agency” as the sole primary provider of healthcare coverage for all California residents.
• SB 810 would prohibit all current health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies from being sold in California because they would duplicate services provided through the “California Healthcare Agency.” Individual health care service plans or insurance companies would only be able to provide coverage for medical or health services in California that the “California Healthcare Agency” does not provide.
Reasons to Oppose:
1. Health care is primarily the responsibility of families and individuals, not of the government.
2. Health insurance and health care plans have operated as private for-profit or non-profit enterprises in a competitive free market. These should not be limited or stopped from operating.
3. SB 810 effectively creates a form of taxation in the form of insurance premiums that are to be paid to the state. The state would control how that money is redistributed to pay for health care for anyone who resides in the state.
4. SB 810 will destroy the current level of choices for health care coverage available to Californians as the “California Healthcare Agency” dictates what health care the state will fund and therefore be available.
5. SB 810 interferes with the right of individuals to fully manage their own medical decisions. For instance, under SB 810, individuals can only obtain services approved by the state, and only by providers approved by the state.
6. Under SB 810, morally objectionable services, such as abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or mandatory regular psychiatric exams for everyone could be paid for. In addition, some services, such as those that help the disabled, the aged, or infants with congenital conditions could be rationed or eliminated. England and Canada have socialized medicine. In England, the agency that provides guidance on health issues proposed that elderly patients be denied some treatments because of their age (Sam Lester, Health Correspondent, TIMESONLINE, May 6, 2005). Under Canada’s health care system, some patients have had to wait so long for prescribed treatment that they either die first or have to seek private treatment in spite of the fact that they have already paid the government for these necessary services (Beth Duff-Brown, AP, March 20, 2005). (Read the article on Government Health Care in our Mar/Apr newsletter.)
7. SB 810 could result in individuals needing to purchase additional coverage for care beyond what the state’s plan would provide. This would require the individual to pay into the state’s plan and additionally into a private plan. Most people would not be able to afford to pay the manditory premiums and also pay out of pocket for additional health care. Most people would be stuck with only the medical services the state’s plan would cover.
8. Under SB 810, premiums for a state plan are very likely to be significantly higher than premiums for existing private plans, which are of a higher quality and offer more choices. Everyone above poverty level will be subsidizing the hundreds of thousands of low- or non-income individuals who will not be paying for their coverage.
9. SB 810 would allow this new state agency to issue regulations concerning your medical care without any appropriate accountability or any public input or independent review by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL).
Current law requires the opportunity for public comment and for OAL review of government generated regulations.
10. Important issues related to socialized medicine are presented in several articles at www.childandfamilyprotection.org.
General Instructions for Contacting State Legislators and the Governor
Legislative proposals, called bills, are public information and available by calling the Legislative Bill Room: (916) 445-2323. For the status of a bill, Call: Senate bills - (916) 445-4251 and Assembly bills - (916) 319-2856. Also for bill information you can go to www.leginfo.ca.gov.
The Capitol Switchboard (916-322-9900) can provide the phone number of any legislator or state official. Limit each call to only one issue or bill. You can also find the phone numbers and addresses of your state legislators and the Governor, and other contact information by entering your 9 digit ZIP code in HSLDA’s Legislative Toolbox at www.hslda.org. If you are unable to locate your legislator using the HSLDA web site, call your county elections or voter registration or registrar of voters office.
Address only one bill per letter (1 sheet of paper), but you can enclose several letters (each on a different bill) in a single envelope. Because e-mails are usually ignored, letters are significantly more effective.
WRITE:
The Honorable (first & last name)
(Assembly or Senate)
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Office of The Governor
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Salutation: Dear Assemblymember (last name): or Dear Senator (last name): or Dear Governor Schwarzenegger
“Please (support or oppose or for the Governor: sign or veto) (AB or SB) (list bill # here). (If able, give a brief reason, but not required). Thank you.”
Sincerely,
(Your Name) (Be sure to include your full address and print or type your first and last names.)
The Governor’s office is (916) 445-2841 or fax him at (916) 445-4633
The purpose of this communication is to present information and express our positions on the issues addressed. We encourage you to research this for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Regardless of your position, we strongly urge you to exercise your constitutional right to express your position to your elected representatives.
KEEP this Alert as a reference for future Alerts.
— We evaluate bills and proposals from a Biblical/Christian World View — |
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