CAHU Campaign Update!

Operation Drumbeat-a resounding success!
Sam Smith
CAHU VP Public Affairs

All across California, members of our association answered the call to initiate Operation Drumbeat messages to their assembly members regarding SB 1522 (Steinberg), the individual health insurance 5 coverage choice categories legislation. I am pleased to report the response to this call for action was nearly DOUBLE the response to our previous Operation Drumbeat!! As a result of your efforts and those of our coalition partners, SB 1522 is still waiting in the wings of the Assembly for a third reading and final vote. Many legislators are concerned about the points you have raised regarding the unintended consequences of this legislation. Not wanting to vote against a bill sponsored by Darrell Steinberg, the new Senate President Pro Tem "in waiting", it is essential that this bill not come to a floor vote. At the current time, the bill is on the calendar, just waiting on the "maybe" list as the clock is ticking on this current session which ends on August 31st. No news is good news on this one!

SB 1440 (Kuehl), the 85% medical loss ration bill, has passed the Assembly and is in the Senate awaiting concurrence on a number of industry proposed amendments. Concurrence is virtually assured and the bill will be on its way to the Governor. While we still officially oppose this measure, we are very pleased to see the important changes that have been made to this legislation. We anticipate the Governor will sign this bill.

SB 840 (Kuehl), Single Payer health insurance for California. This bill is also waiting for third reading and final passage in the Assembly. Watch for this one to come to the floor for a final vote and get sent to the Governor where it faces a certain veto. Single payer advocates are expecting to use the Governor's veto to launch a new media campaign designed to launch the next leg of their campaign for government run health care....the anticipated 2010 ballot initiative....or a sympathetic Democratic Governor!

Proposition 11....Our CAHU campaign for this essential proposition is in full swing! Today marks the last day of our Speaker Trainings across the state with today's training in Orange County! Chapters are engaged in leading the effort to reach out to their communities to enlist support for Prop 11 by contacting their local Chambers of Commerce and related business organizations. We are starting to get very positive reports from the local chapters on their successes in this endeavor. The next step in the campaign, the outreach to our general membership and their clients and friends is schedule to begin right after Labor Day with letters to members and suggested letters to clients.

I must say that I am very encouraged by the level of support and enthusiasm I am seeing from the local chapter leadership. This is exactly what we need to move our efforts forward. Whether it is our Operation Drumbeat efforts or our "Operation Outreach" efforts for Prop 11, we cannot succeed without this support.

Thank you to the members and the local chapter leaders that have stepped up and answered the call to action! We can succeed, we must succeed! California is depending on us!

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED: SB 1522

Sam Smith
CAHU VP, Public Affairs

This bill, authored by Sen. Darrell Steinberg, Senate President Pro Tem in waiting and in the “honeymoon stage of his ascension” (to quote Alan Katz of http://www.alankatz.wordpress.com/ ) will categorize products in the individual health insurance market in to five classes of plans and specifically eliminate an entire class of affordable plans currently providing protection to over 125,000 Californians. Passage of SB 1522 in its current form will essentially bring an end to California’s individual insurance market as we know it.

I urge you to watch your email in box for a message from Don Jones, President of the California Association of Health Underwriters regarding SB 1522. Don will ask you to send an email message to your assemblyperson immediately. In order to have any effect, your message must be received by Tuesday evening in order to count.

SB 1522 joins Sen. Kuehl’s SB1440 (85% Medical Loss Ratio) and Sen. Kuehl’s SB 840 (single payer) for third reading and final vote on the floor of the Assembly as early as this week. Between them, these bills illustrate a trio of perfect examples of why the California Association of Health Underwriters has endorsed Proposition 11, the California Voters First Initiative. Once again our elected officials have chosen partisan political posturing over sound public policy.

I must ask every member to act on our Operation Drumbeat request immediately upon receipt. We can not let up in our fight for reasonable reform!

SB 840 Moves to the Assembly Floor for a Vote

Sam Smith
CAHU VP, Public Affairs

In the last week, Senator Sheila Kuehl’s Single Payer SB840 was voted out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is currently on its way to the Assembly floor for a final vote. If the bill passes in the Assembly, SB840 returns to the Senate floor for concurrence and then it goes to the Governor’s desk for signature or veto.

SB840 is expected to be voted on in the Assembly in the next few days. Of the 80 members in the Assembly, 48 are Democrats. 33 members of the Assembly are Co-Authors of SB840. Sen. Kuehl needs 41 Ayes to pass the measure back to the Senate which will require 8 additional Ayes from the non-sponsors in the Assembly. The current vote looks like they have 7 that they are confident in and need one more vote to pass.

Potential NO votes:
Carter, Wilmer Amina
Dem - 62 (916) 319-2062
Fuentes, Felipe
Dem - 39 (916) 319-2039
Galgiani, Cathleen
Dem - 17 (916) 319-2017
Mendoza, Tony
Dem - 56 (916) 319-2056
Parra, Nicole
Dem - 30 (916) 319-2030
Portantino, Anthony J.
Dem - 44 (916) 319-2044
Price, Curren D. Jr.
Dem - 51 (916) 319-2051
Salas, Mary
Dem - 79 (916) 319-2079

Likely YES votes:

Arambula, Juan
Dem - 31 (916) 319-2031
Previous Yes
Calderon, Charles
Dem - 58 (916) 319-2058
Previous Yes
De La Torre, Hector
Dem - 50 (916) 319-2050
Previous Yes
Hernandez, Edward P.
Dem - 57 (916) 319-2057
Previous Yes
Saldaña, Lori
Dem - 76 (916) 319-2076
Previous Yes
Soto, Nell
Dem - 61 (916) 319-2061
Previous Yes
Wolk, Lois
Dem - 8 (916) 319-2008
Previous Yes

There is no question that it is an uphill battle to stop SB840 on the floor of the Assembly. The Democrats are looking to make this a campaign issue and will do everything necessary to send this to the Governor’s desk to force his hand. We should be no less vigilant in trying to get these Assemblymembers to do what is right. No matter what their motive is, bad legislation is still just that….a bad idea.

If you have a moment, make a phone call for the future of health care in California!