Candidates Speak Out for SB 840 & HR 676 ("single payer" healthcare)

Candidates on June 3 Ballot Speak Out for Single Payer Universal Health Reform (SB 840, the California Universal Healthcare Act and HR 676, the US National Health Insurance Act)

On Saturday, May 3, a panel of candidates (or their representatives) who are competing in the June 3 election to get onto the November '08 ballot, will speak about their support for single payer universal health care reform legislation in California and in the U.S. These bills, SB 840 (authored by California State Senator Sheila Kuehl), and HR 676 (authored by US Congressman John Conyers, Jr.) would provide health care for everyone in California and for everyone in the U.S., respectively; and would eliminate the role of the health insurance industry.
SB 840 was passed by a vote of both houses of the California legislature but vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2006. The Governor and Assembly Speaker Nunez then proposed a compromise health reform bill, ABX 1-1, which would have maintained the role of the insurance industry, but after it was vetted by the State Legislative Analyst, which reinforced legislators' doubts about that bill's cost and benefits, it died in the California State Senate Health Committee earlier this year. SB 840, would provide affordable, accessible, high-quality health care for all people in our state. In contrast, ABX1-1, contained uncertain levels of medical care and unpredictable costs for people and our state; but would have imposed individual mandates on Californians (i.e. would have required them to buy health insurance) which would only serve to guarantee profits for the health insurance industry.

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding the Medicare system and would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care. HR 676 has not yet been voted upon but currently has 90 co-sponsors in the U.S. Congress in addition to Conyers. Competing proposals by Presidential candidates Obama, Clinton and McCain all maintain the role of the insurance industry, which consumes 31 cents of each health care dollar for bureaucracy.
State Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco, who was a key player in the defeat, ABX 1-1, will join a panel of candidates including SF Board Member Tom Ammiano, activists Cindy Sheehan and Shirley Golub (who are both running against Nancy Pelosi in the 8th Congressional District) and businessman Barry Hermanson (who is competing with Jackie Spier for the seat in the 12th Congressional District) at a forum this Saturday in San Francisco at 5 pm to talk about their support for SB 840 and/or HR 676.

The panel is free and open to the public and press this Saturday, May 3, 5 pm, at the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission Street.

The panel includes:

Candidates for the 12th Assembly District:
Bob Twomey speaking for Assembly Member Fiona Ma

Candidates for the 13th Assembly District:
Representative for Supervisor Tom Ammiano

Candidates for the 3rd State Senate District:
Christine Gasparac, district director for State Senator Carole Migden
Representative for Assemblymember Mark Leno

Legislators from the 12th State Senate District:
State Senator Leland Yee

Candidates for the 8th Congressional District:
Shirley Golub
Cindy Sheehan

Candidates for the 12th Congressional District:
Barry Hermanson

Sponsored by the CUHCOP (the California Universal Healthcare Organizing Project) and CUHCEP, (the California Universal Health Care Education Project). CUHCOP is a San Francisco grassroots association of health care reform volunteers for Universal Single Payer Healthcare for California since 1994, and supports the passage of SB 840, the California Health Insurance Reliability Act. For more information about CUHCOP, CUHCEP, and/or this event: call 415-695-7891, 415-810-5826, or email dbechler [at] value.net.