Released: June 08, 2007

Let voters reform health care

Source: David Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle

Passage of [California] Senate Bill 840 - a bill that would guarantee health coverage for all Californians - by the state Senate this week is a significant victory for all those who believe health care is a right, not a privilege. But that may still be wishful thinking.

It’s unclear how SB840, authored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, will fare in the Assembly. And even if it’s passed by the full Legislature, as was the case last year, it almost certainly would face a veto by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, as was the case last year.

So I say this: Let the people decide. If our lawmakers can’t or won’t recognize the urgent need for universal coverage, then it’s time to repackage SB840 as a ballot initiative and put it to a vote by those most directly impacted by our obscenely dysfunctional health care system - us.

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