'Scrooge' Democratic Party Healthcare Plan Shows Little Charity

Green Party of California
www.cagreens.org

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Contact: Susan King, spokesperson, 415.823-5524 funking@mindspring.com
Sara Amir, spokesperson, 310.270-7106 saraamir@earthlink.net
Cres Vellucci, press secretary, 916.996-9170 civillib@cwnet.com 

'Scrooge' Democratic Party healthcare plan doesn't show much charity this holiday season, notes Green Party of California

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The Democratic Party's plan disclosed this past week to help those without healthcare is more "Scrooge-like" than charitable during this holiday, and won't really help most Californians in need, said the Green Party of California today. 

In fact, in an analysis by the California Universal Health Care Organizing Project, the plan suggested last week by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Kaiser Permanente leave millions of Californians "out-in-the-cold," according Don Bechler, a member of the Green Party and Chair/lead organizer of the California Universal Health Care Organizing Project. 

Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to outline his health care proposal in his State of the State speech in January.   

Bechler said his organization will be analyzing each plan using the following four criteria:  

* Will it insure every Californian? 
* Will health care coverage be comprehensive?
* Will it save us money?
* Is it publicly accountable?

So far, Perata's plan, Kaiser's and Schwarzenegger's (from advance reports) would fail the first question. 

"At this time of year, we would have hoped that lawmakers, and the Governor - who have very good health plans - would not be so very Scrooge-like in their proposals. Where is their compassion for the nearly seven million unable to get health care?" said Larry Cafiero, the Green Party candidate for Insurance Commissioner in November. 

SB840, the California Health Insurance Reliability Act, which passed the legislature earlier this year and was vetoed by the governor, is the standard by which all other plans should be measured, according to Cafiero and Bechler's organization.