Gov. Schwarzenegger called 2007 the year of health care reform, and we’ve held him to that promise.

During a special legislative session focused on health care, CALPIRG advocates kicked into high gear to push for reforms that would contain the rising costs of health insurance, expand coverage for the uninsured, and give consumers a fair shake when buying health insurance.

Halloween Hearing
At an Assembly Health Committee hearing in Sacramento on Oct. 31, CALPIRG Advocate Emily Rusch testified in favor of strong consumer protections.   

Though the governor’s original proposal would limit insurance companies’ ability to discriminate against the sick and the old, and the amount of consumers’ premiums used for administrative costs and excessive profits, it didn’t go far enough.

We told lawmakers that all Californians need to have the option to join a group purchasing pool so they don’t have to buy insurance on their own, and that consumers should have easy access to information about health plans, including their price, when choosing coverage.  

Assembly Speaker Núñez must have been listening, because the next week, he released his own proposal, which contains important cost containment measures and affordability protections. It helps pay for reform by increasing the tobacco tax, a reliable source of funding that will also make Californians healthier by discouraging them from smoking.  

Unfortunately, on January 28th the Senate Health Committee failed to pass the bill, largely citing concerns about the potential costs of expanding health care coverage. Tobacco companies and some health insurance companies had heavily lobbied against the legislation. Read our brief statement on the Senate’s vote, final analysis of the bill, and plan from here.