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Health Insurance Bills Battle for Passage

SACRAMENTO - Health care in California is working its way to the top of a mountain of bills introduced this legislative session. By Wednesday, the deadline to submit bills, lawmakers had crafted more than 3,000 pieces of legislation – an increasing number dealing with some form of health care.

Tuesday, assembly members Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, and Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, introduced a bill that would require all Californians to have health insurance coverage. Wednesday, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, flanked by a cadre of her Democrat colleagues, outlined her bill – The California Health Insurance Reliability Act - that would accomplish a similar goal but through a very different process. It is estimated at 6.8 million Californians are without health insurance coverage.

The separate pieces of legislation promise to divide supporters inside and outside the legislature. The Kuehl Bill, SB 840, with the moniker “CHIRA,” would create a single payer system, much like the federal MediCal program. All California residents would be eligible, health coverage would not be lost because of a change in employment or a hike in insurance premiums or because he or she has an existing health problem, such as diabetes. Best of all, according to Keuhl, the plan will be affordable for businesses and individuals. “This bill will save money and save lives,” she said.



Health Insurance Bills Battle for Passage

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