(California) Health care measure seeks public option, rollbacks

[Auggie]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

As Republicans try to make President Obama's landmark health care law a key issue in the 2012 election, a leading California consumer rights group wants to shift the debate by offering a groundbreaking state ballot measure calling for a public option, a 20 percent rate rollback and tough oversight of premiums.

The initiative, aimed at California's November 2012 ballot, is being organized by Consumer Watchdog, the Santa Monica group responsible for Proposition 103, the landmark 1988 ballot measure that established regulatory and cost oversight of state auto insurance rates.

Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Jamie Court said the proposal represents "about the only forward movement toward patients" in the U.S. health care debate since the Affordable Care Act, the president's bill that passed Congress last year. Republicans refer to it as "Obamacare."

"This will be a bellwether for America," Court said in an interview Wednesday. "If California passes a 20 percent rate rollback and the right of citizens to bypass private insurances in favor of a public plan, then every other major state will do that, too."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/25/MNP31KRCSA.DTL&tsp=1

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The article suggests insurance companies could invest as much as $100 million to fight the measure.

[villager]

1. So we Californians will get to vote on the the thing Obama should've fought for

I wonder if the administration will even endorse the initiative?

[xchrom]

2. they'll be mum on subject, would be my guess. nt

[Auntie Bush]

14. Pessimism abounds! nt

[Harmony Blue]

3. Best route is to go to the "state" level

Once it is shown as a success in a few states the rest of the states in the union will follow, and then the administrations will be forced to support this approach. Canada's Saskatchewan was the starting point, and then it spread throughout that country!!!

[loyalsister]

19. Yep

So much of health care is administered locally that this is the smart way to do it.
Showing other states how they can save money by doing this would make it more and more difficult to argue against single payer.

[Lasher]

4. Well let's see:

[blueclown]

17. That's just revisionist history.

The administration did fight for the public option, but it was railroaded by a bunch of Democratic senators.

[yurbud]

5. this will take some creativity for insurance companies to defeat

[Auggie]

7. They'll reach into their usual bag of lies and dirty tricks

[Auggie]

8. Dupe post

[Plucketeer]

6. Fingers Crossed nt

[LaPera]

9. Let the 100% Democratic (state office holders & majorities) of CA lead the way....As CA goes

so does the west coast including Hawaii and then it catches on in the north eastern part of the country....but usually CA progressive steps first start in Northern California.....nice to see it starting in Santa Monica this time(Los Angeles County). Usually progressive issues begin in the 300 mile liberal coast from Santa Cruz up to (including the Bay Area) the Humboldt County (Eureka/Arcata) coast then it filters down to LA county - Cheers to CA!

[SoapBox]

10. Where do I sign!?!

...show me a petition and I'll sign!

The Thugs are all about letting "the people" decide on shit...so we decided we want this!

[Auggie]

11. Don't know, but I intend to send money too

[Kingofalldems]

12. Kick and Recommend.

[bemildred]

13. So insurance Comapnies will spend $100 million of OUR MONEY to defeat it.

So they can keep paying those CEO salaries.

[Auggie]

15. Let them... people piss and moan about how lengthy the CA voting pamphlet can get,

but the initiative process is OUR WAY and maybe the BEST WAY for fighting these bastards.

[Frances]

18. Is that how much PGE spent

to keep towns and cities from setting up competition to them?

Anyway, I live in CA and will definitely vote for the prop.

[animato]

16. knr