High Quality Affordable Health Care for Every Californian

By Ronnie Gail Caplane

In the Assembly, I will work to create a health care system that provides health care for all Californians.

Between 6 and 7 million of our residents, many of whom are employed full time, are without health insurance. They rely on community clinics and hospital emergency rooms for treatment. They have no preventive care. Consequently, diseases go undiagnosed and untreated until they become debilitating. This ends up costing tax payers millions of dollars every year in medical treatment, lost productivity, and other related expenses. It is a disgrace that California can be the bio-tech capital of the world while millions are denied basic medical care.

I am committed to rectifying this injustice. As a member of the Assembly I pledge to fight to pass legislation that provides health insurance coverage to every Californian. In order to do this we must:

• Pass a universal single payer health care system, such as Senator Sheila Kuehl's bill, SB 840, The California Health Insurance Reliability Act (CHIRA), to provide affordable health care and prescription drug coverage for every Californian I have been endorsed by Senator Kuehl and look forward to working with her to ensure that a universal health care become a reality. (The Lewin Group has estimated that this legislation would save California about $344 Billion in health care costs over the next 10 years.)

• Pass Wilma Chan's bill, AB 772, extending coverage to all children from families with incomes up to three times the federal poverty level

• Increase funding to community clinics to enable them to treat uninsured patients at a nominal cost

• Provide funding to create professionally staffed health and dental clinics in schools and increase the number of counselors in schools. Early diagnosis of learning disabilities, depression and other emotional issues is crucial for successful treatment

• Fund community outreach programs that teach nutrition, parenting skills and preventative care

• Ensure that all health care facilities are safely and adequately staffed with trained RN's and licensed caregivers

• Protect the authority of doctors and nurses, not administrators, to make decisions about patient care based on their knowledge and expertise, reducing unsafe and premature discharges of patients from hospitals

• Require hospitals to provide services to the uninsured

My first priority as a legislator will be to improve Oakland's and California's schools, and provide a first-rate education for every California child. Please see my education platform for specifics.