California's insurance law and the "reform" bill.

[JDPriestly]

I suspect that California's insurance laws protect Californians better than this Senate bill would. In fact, I suspect but do not know for sure that the insurance companies are trying to pre-empt California's laws. With this bill, I suspect that some of the really lousy policies that are now illegal in California could be sold in our state.

This bill would pre-empt all the hard work California's legislature did to reform health care in California. It would also prohibit Californians from ever having single payer. We have been just a governor's signature away from that point, and we could get there again. Please, for the sake of California, call Senators Feinstein and Boxer and your representative and then e-mail them to make the point that this bill as proposed at this time would damage Californians.

Don't put this off. This bill could cost Californians a lot of money. We are the cash cow of the country (along with New York).

[Saving Hawaii]

1. About the bill and single-payer

Does the bill in the senate actually make it impossible for California to implement single payer? I'm a little confused about what the problem is. Is single-payer already impossible to implement and the bill doesn't fix that, or is it possible today and this bill would make it impossible?

[JDPriestly]

2. I believe that this bill would pre-empt conflicting state laws.

That's why the insurance companies want it (in addition to the captive subscribers they will get and the millions that will mean to them.) This will not permit opt-outs. That idea went out the window the minute liberals embraced it. Of course, the bill could still be changed. I read in another post an article in the L.A. Times stating that California's laws permitting a challenge and second opinion on insurance company denials of claims would also go out the window.

Please call our senators you representative in Congress to ask them to vote against this bill unless it includes California's consumer protections and cost-saving measures (other than those cutting Medicare costs).

Can you imagine that Democrats might be campaigning in 2010 and 2012 against the Republicans' correct claims that the only costs cut in this bill are Medicare benefits? How does any Democrat thing he or she will be re-elected if he or she votes for a bill that cuts Medicare but not insurance company profits on other kinds of policies?

Recipe for defeat in 2010 and 2012. That's this bill.