Save the Date! November 20th

Thursday, October 02, 2008

What next year look like? I don't know. We're still reeling from this year's bad news, on bills and budget. And a lot will depend on the elections, at both the state and federal level. Even after a bad year, there's reasons for optimism.

Health Access will be having our 20th Anniversary Celebration on November 20th at the Sacramento Convention Center, and in addition to a reception, we'll have an afternoon symposium about the politics and prospects for health reforms in 2009-10. Put it in your calendars!

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 4:52 PM


 

Joan Lee, R.I.P.

Monday, July 28, 2008

As someone who has been involved in organizing with senior citizen groups for over a decade, I have learned to recognize that some of my best allies will not be with us forever. But it doesn't make it any better.

Labels: Drugs, HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 11:53 AM


 

A fighter throughout...

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Our wishes go out to Joan Lee,who has been in the hospital for a few weeks now, battling cancer.

We at Health Access California have worked with Joan closely in her leadership role with the Gray Panthers, on everything from fighting budget cuts to fighting the price-gouging of prescription drug companies. Health Access has had a joint project with her and the Gray Panthers, along with other senior groups, around the implementation of Medicare Part D, and a broader range of senior health policy issues. She's been active in Democratic circles, and in building bridges between the senior and disability communities.

She was cited last year as a California Senior Leader by the UC-Berkeley School of Public Health, which described her as "a convenor of the Gray Panthers of Sacramento, national Gray Panther board member, and Vice President of the Congress of California Seniors, to name but a few. Joan Lee is well known in the State Legislature, and in Washington DC, as an articulate voice for better transportation, improving Medicare Part D, and policies to help prevent elder abuse. Returning to college to get a degree in Gerontology in her mid 50’s, she has fought for the rights of older adults on many fronts, including creating an innovative long term care program in Northern California and successfully advocating for medical schools to have required courses in gerontology."

We're pulling for her. Wishes can be sent to her and her husband Arnie at: Joan B. Lee (patient), c/o Kaiser Hospital , 2025 Morse Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, Medicare

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 11:09 PM


 

Join us...

Monday, June 23, 2008

WHY YOUR ORGANIZATION SHOULD JOIN HEALTH ACCESS CALIFORNIA
* Fight health care budget cuts, win health consumer protections, prepare for health reform
* Get timely updates on health policy & politics, and help with your advocacy efforts
* Advance the cause and build the movement for quality, affordable, health care for all

If you have been a reader of this blog, we hope you have found these updates, reporting, and analysis helpful in your work. You also know that there are big decisions being made in next few weeks and months that will have dramatic impact on California patients, insured and uninsured.

• There are draconian health care cuts proposed, that would deny care for hundreds of thousands of Californians, and undermine the health care system we all rely on. We need to fight for an alternative to a cuts-only budget, for one that includes the revenues needed to prevent such severe cuts.
• At the same time, there is the possibility of advancing consumer protection legislation to cap out-of-pocket costs and set better standards for insurance sold to individuals; to place new oversight over insurers about their rescission practices; to have better transparency about the cost and quality of the health care provided by doctors and hospitals; and more.
• Both these fights are critical for laying the foundation for major health reform in 2009, and we need to prepare now for a new window of opportunity, with a new President and Congress at the federal level, and new legislative leadership and gubernatorial interest at the state level. We can't give up on winning broard health reform, from an expansion of public programs for children to a full-blown single-payer system, and everything in between.

ORGANIZATIONS CAN JOIN THE HEALTH ACCESS COALITION: To best advance these goals, we urge your organization to become a member of Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition. When you do, you will join the dozens of other member organizations representing seniors, people with disabilities, children, immigrants, communities of color, health care professionals, people of faith, working families, women, low-income families, and communities throughout California.

Join online at our website, at:
http://www.health-access.org/joinhac/organization_signup.htm
To join by printing out a form to fill out and mail-in, go to:
http://www.health-access.org/docs/2006%20Official%20HAC%20Membership%20Form.pdf

We invite organizations that support the goal of quality, affordable health care for all to join the Health Access coalition. With your organization’s contribution, commitment, and membership, we can work to achieve meaningful change for the insured and the uninsured.

INDIVIDUALS CAN CONTRIBUTE: If you are an interested individual who wants to contribute, we welcome that as well. You can also contribute at the Health Access Foundation website, at:
http://www.health-access.org/hafcontibution.htm

BIG DECISIONS COMING UP: In the next few weeks, with your support and strength, we have the opportunity to fight these budget cuts, place greater oversight over insurers and providers, and advance efforts at the state and national level to expand coverage to all Californians. Sacramento policymakers will be making decisions on the budget and bills shortly; a list of pending bills (one of the many resources Health Access provides) is available on our website at:
http://www.health-access.org/advocating/2008_bills.html

In the next few months, we will work to ensure that health care continues to be a major issue in the fall elections, so that there is a mandate for comprehensive health care reform and coverage expansion in 2009, a campaign for which we are actively planning and organizing.

HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION ADVOCATE: More than any specific policy goal, our main focus at Health Access California is to provide your organization with information, materials, relationships, and resources to assist you to advocate effectively on the health care issues that matter most to your constituency. In addition to providing these up-to-the-minute e-mail updates and alerts on health policy developments, we also produce fact sheets, talking points, and analyses of legislation and ballot propositions. We develop policy proposals and organize public campaigns in support of policy solutions to help you engage your constituents around health care issues.

For a sample of the resources we provide, please visit our main website at:
http://www.health-access.org.

As a coalition organization, Health Access works to assist its member organizations to build their capacity, so they can better advocate on health care issues. More than a source of information, Health Access works side-by-side with its member organizations. Our diverse staff, with expertise in consumer advocacy, government, journalism, labor, electoral campaigns, lobbying, community organizations, and media relations, are available as resources, to give presentations or assistance on a range of subjects. We give our members issues and substance around which they can organize, plan media events, and build their base locally. Realizing that our member groups have multiple priorities and issues, we work to provide them with resources that allow them to get meaningfully involved in health care advocacy without draining their internal resources.

JOIN HEALTH ACCESS: We ask that your organization join with many other California organizations in becoming a member of Health Access California for 2008 with a contribution of $250 (less for small groups at the discretion of the Executive Director; $1000 or more for large membership organizations and unions). The resources raised from membership help us provide the advocacy work in the Capitol and the information that you and other advocates use for your own work.

Your organization can join online, at:
http://www.health-access.org/joinhac/organization_signup.htm
To join by printing out a form to fill out and mail-in, go to: http://www.health-access.org/docs/2006%20Official%20HAC%20Membership%20Form.pdf

We hope that these E-mail updates and our research, organizing, coalition-building, public education, and advocacy will continue to be beneficial to you as a member of Health Access California. Your organization's membership -- both the contribution and the commitment -- gives us the resources to effectively assist your organization, and to win policy victories on behalf of health care consumers.

To check if your organization's membership is current for this year, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about how we can be of better service to your organization, please feel free to contact me at 916-442-2308 or awright@health-access.org.

INDIVIDUALS CONTRIBUTIONS HELP: If you want to contribute as an individual, we would welcome that as well. You can also contribute at the Health Access Foundation website, at:
http://www.health-access.org/hafcontibution.htm

We look forward to working with you in the weeks and months ahead. Now back to our blogging...

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 10:56 AM


 

LA panel: looking forward to 2009...

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

For those health reformers not in the Bay Area, there's also a star-studded panel tomorrow (Thursday) night in Los Angeles. Sponsored by The California Endowment, it reflects on a special issue of The American Prospect that includes my recent summary of lessons learned from the California "year of health reform," as we attempt to seize a new opportunity in the next year. I'm away and not on the panel, but some of my fellow contributors to that issue are there. Here's the info...:

The American Prospect: What Path to Universal Health Care?
Thursday, June 19 — 7 p.m.

The California Endowment's Center for Healthy Communities
1000 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
[CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND DRIVING DIRECTIONS]

Will any of the candidates' solutions actually fix our system? This is the central question of a new special issue of The American Prospect and of this Center Scene Public Program. Experts and contributors to the magazine discuss the politics of health reform and what it will take to achieve a system that is truly universal, efficient, affordable and has prevention at its core.

Panelists include:
* Fabian Núñez, member and speaker emeritus, California State Assembly
* Neal Halfon, M.D., director, UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities
* Ezra Klein, associate editor, The American Prospect

Moderator:
Matt Miller, senior fellow, Center for American Progress and
host, Left, Right & Center on 89.9 KCRW
Miles Rapoport, president of D?mos, will make opening remarks.

Click here to R.S.V.P. Light refreshments will be served. Admission and parking are free. For more information, please e-mail rsvpchc@calendow.org

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, YearOfReform

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 8:21 PM


 

Taking consumer representation seriously...

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Good Health Wonk Review just published at the Health Affairs Blog, including our post on budget cuts being a big threat to health reform. Lots of good posts.

The Health Affairs Blog had a previous post of note, "Who Speaks for the Health Care Consumer?" Ron Cunningham quickly debunks the mis-used term of "consumer-directed health care," asking "When did consumers ever stand up and demand that they be allowed to pay more when they are sick?"

Taking the question seriously, he reports that "Unresolved questions about the meaning of consumer engagement in the health sphere surfaced Monday in a lively conversation among health services researchers at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in Washington." Here's a provocative paragraph:

Panelist Shoshanna Sofaer of the City University of New York bluntly described the term “consumer empowerment” as an oxymoron, because of the implication that if power could be bestowed on a consumer, it could equally well be taken away. In general, Sofaer said, as matters now stand, “consumers have no voice” in the workings of the health system. Her view was seconded by Ed Mendoza of the California Office of the Patient Advocate, who suggested that consumers have little or nothing in common with powerful “stakeholder” groups. Inviting consumer representatives or advocates to participate in a stakeholder collaborative could amount to little more than tokenism. True consumer activism is more likely to begin with a negative reaction to what incumbent stakeholders are doing, Mendoza said.

It's absolutely true that there's lots of task forces, commissions, and decision making bodies in the health care world and in state and federal government where there is a token consumer representation (although you'd be surprised at how many decision-making entities don't even make that effort.)

Placing a random "consumer" or two on a board may introduce some good questions and thoughts to a discussion, but is of limited use: they are often outnumbered, but often don't come to the table to with the information, political savvy, or political power to make a difference.

Sofaer is right: consumer empowerment needs to be done by the consumers, not the government. As a consumer advocacy coalition, we don't believe that we are "empowered" by government officials, but by the organizations and individual members and constitituencies.

So Health Access California seeks to provide real consumer representation on board and commissions and the like. First of all, we work to build political power to represent consumers, as a stakeholder of equal or greater standing than the traditional "stakeholders" in the process. We work to build the biggest and broadest coalition of organizations that represent consumers to advocate for policy changes that would help their community. Health Access and other organizations not only then come with power and standing, but with accountability, that they are actually representating a constituency, albeit a very broad one.

(And for the record, we are organized for the positive goal of quality, affordable health care for all; we do often have a "negative reaction" to industry practices, but that's because of the industry practices... we'd rather be focused on our positive agenda.)

And then there's expertise. For example, Health Access is lucky to have Elizabeth Abbott direct our administrative advocacy, working to represent us at various agencies, and on various board and commissions. She often is the only (or one of a few) consumer advocates on a panel--but she has the backing of Health Access and our collective knowledge and resources, as well as her own experience running Medicaid and Medicare for CMS at their Regional Administrator until recently. This gives her the ability to ask the right questions, the savvy to sniff out when something sound wrong, and the ability to make a stand when necessary, and to ensure that people listen.

So consumer representation and engagement can be mere tokenism, but it doesn't have to be be, if the representatives come with their own expertise, accountability, and organizational resources and power.

Finally, there's just the numbers: why is it acceptable to have lots of boards and commissions with the goal of benefitting consumers, and consumers only have a seat or two, or are outnumbdered 10-1?

There's much more work to do to have our health system be truly "consumer directed," in the original and true meaning of that term.

One more thing: I sometimes dislike when decision-makers just call us "the advocates," because that description robs us of our central role, as consumer representatives: we aren't just advocating for advocating's sake: we are representating consumers, who are, in our estimation, the point of this whole health care enterprise in the first place.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, OtherBlogs

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 11:46 PM


 

We are hiring, to make a difference...

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

If you read this blog, you know the big health care issues and the major stakes of the next few years. Health Access is currently hiring smart, dedicated, and skilled people to work with us to fight health care budget cuts, work for health consumer protections, and organize for comprehensive health reform at the state and federal levels.

We are currently taking resume for a Northern California organizer in our Oakland office, as well as an online organizer and a lead organizer/project coordinator on our health reform efforts, where both positions are flexible about whether they are located in our Los Angeles, Oakland, or Sacramento offices.

More detailed job descriptions are available on our website, at:
http://www.health-access.org/about/jobopps.htm

If you are interested in joining are talented, diverse, and passionate staff, we are looking for cover letters and resume to be sent to: jobs@health-access.org.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 12:52 AM


 

Vote!

Monday, June 02, 2008

Just a reminder about Election Day tomorrow. The primary contests tomorrow will largely determine who the next state Legislature will be, and how receptive and active they will be on health care and other issues.

It doesn't have the pizzazz of the February elections with the presidential candidates, but there's key races around the state, for state and local offices, that will make a difference...

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 5:41 PM


 

We knew her when...

Sunday, June 01, 2008

The effort to win national health care reform is heating up: lots of planning meeting and activities to ensure that there is a mandate for a new President and Congress to take this issue on, and to be ready to roll in 2009.

Consumers Union (a Health Access California board member) is spearheading a Cover America Tour: an RV that will criss-cross the country for four months, collecting stories about the issues that people have with the broken health care system.

The effort has a website and blog of interest, which includes a video of the launch of the Cover America Tour from Consumers Union's Yonkers headquarters, being cheered by staffers from the labs that test all those products that are evaluated in Consumer Reports. It should be an interest and informative trip, that I urge folks to follow along on the web.

The video prominently features the energetic Meg Bohne (pictured above, crouching), a Health Access alumnus, who has told me she give us partial credit (or blame) for her current assignment. On the website page that describes the whole enterprise, Meg Bohne cites her experience as a "a seasoned community activist, advocate and organizer, Meg has come to specialize in on-the-road campaigns in vehicles that have spanned a bus, an ambulance and, now, an RV." At left is the ambulance she drove up and down the state of California for Health Access, in the cause of lower prescription drug prices.

We wish Meg and the whole crew at Consumers Union luck in their trip and their effort. We look forward to hearing the stories, the personal health care experiences, and the adventures on the road!

Labels: ExpandingCoverage, Federal, HealthAccessCommunity, Underinsurance, Uninsured

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 2:02 AM


 

Health Care Musical Chairs in the Administration

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Big changes on health care in the Governor’s office: Ana Matasantos, legislative deputy extraordinaire and health reform maven, has moved on up – to be deputy director of Department of Finance. A big job given our BIG deficit, and we’re lucky to have someone who comes from and understands the health and public program world occupying that spot.

Filling the legislative position in the Governor's office will be Jennifer Kent, formerly of Department of Health Care Services, and most recently at Health and Human Services Agency. Jennifer was instrumental in drafting and negotiating the transparency/price and quality disclosure language in ABx1 1 (Nunez), which has since been dropped into AB 2967 (Lieber). Jennifer can be reached at Jennifer.Kent@gov.ca.gov.

The legislative position in the Governor’s office was formerly held by Richard “Fig” Figueroa, in a prior Administration, who is now staffing the Governor’s cabinet on health and human services.

Congrats to all.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, Sacramento, Schwarzenegger

posted by Hanh Kim Quach | Permalink | 2:34 PM


 

If you like reading this blog...

Friday, April 18, 2008

HEALTH ACCESS UPDATE
Friday, April 18, 2008

WANT TO WORK TO EXPAND ACCESS TO QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE?
* Project Manager, Organizers Wanted
* Also: Los Angeles Shared Office Space Available

Click Here for What's New on the Health Access WeBlog: Rescinding Rescissions: Patient Reinstatements Ordered by DMHC & Governor Outlines Potential Legislative Solution; New Big Five with Bass and Cogdill; Bush vs. Healthy San Francisco; Prescription Drug Costs


Health Access, California's statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, is hiring. Please circulate these job opportunities to work for quality, affordable health care for all. Health Access has a 20-year history of successful advocacy in fighting health care budget cuts, winning consumer protections (against insurers who deny care, drug companies that price-gouge, or hospitals that overcharge), and advancing comprehensive health reform.

Please circulate this announcement and let us know who may be interested in joining this diverse, committed, and effective team.

Community Organizer:
Health Access seeks two experienced community and/or political organizers: a Northern California Regional Organizer based in our Oakland office, and a Southern California Regional Organizer based in our Los Angeles, office. Each organizer would manage Health Access activities such as coordinating regional coalitions, campaigns, actions, and events in support of our goal to defend and expand access to health care.

Project Coordinator:
Health Access seeks an experienced community and/or political organizer to serve as Project Coordinator responsible for coordinating the campaign activities of a statewide coalition of organizations working to acheive comprehensive health reform to expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Californians. This position may be based in either our Oakland or Los Angeles office.

For detailed job descriptions, visit our website at http://www.health-access.org/about/jobopps.htm

Health Access is a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving quality, affordable health care for all Californians. We offer competitive salaries with excellent benefits including health, life, and disability insurance, 401k savings plan, and a fast-paced but casual work environment.

Promoting diversity is integral to the mission of Health Access. Health Access seeks applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. Health Access embraces equality of opportunity and treatment for all employees in all employment matters.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume with salary requirements referencing JOB TITLE position in the subject line to: jobs@health-access.org or 1127 11th Street, Suite 234, Sacramento, CA 95814

SHARED OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE
LOS ANGELES - DOWNTOWN
Shared office space available $425 - $725

Health Access is currently looking for another organization or individual to sublet a portion of our downtown Los Angeles office suite located at 1930 Wilshire Blvd.

The available space includes one private office (approx. 175 sq. ft.) and/or an additional office that can easily accommodate two individuals (approx. 300 sq. ft.), plus shared use of the reception/meeting area. The building has a secured parking lot with spaces available for an additional $60 per month.

Contact Rick Pavich at Health Access at 916-497-0923 ext 203 or by email at rpavich@health-access.org

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 3:00 PM


 

1,000 posts...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Just recently, we published our 1,000th post on this blog.


Health Access California started putting up our semi-regular E-mail updates and alerts on the web nearly six years ago in May 2002, during a previous budget crisis, when major health reform was not really on the table. On the eve of the "the year of health reform," in November 2006, we started posting daily commentary as well.

We hope this information has been useful: it is the mission of Health Access California to help our member organizations, community leaders, health advocates, and others, by providing them the best information, materials, political advice, and campaign infrastructure, to be the most effective on health care issues, on behalf of their constituencies. We hope this blog has been helpful in providing that information, a link to what's going on in Sacramento, and on health policy in California, so that you (and your organization) can best engage in the policy process--on the variety of issues and in the full range of venues.

Before posting daily to the blog, I've wondered if there would be enough content... but it's clear that there's more than enough going on in health care--even when it's *not* the "Year of Health Reform."

Personally, it's been interesting to also balance blogging with my "day job" being a consumer advocate and an organization director. We've been active in reporting and transcribing many public hearings and events and posting information... while at the same time, to be honest, not sharing strategy secrets or divulging information from private meetings.

We recognize that we are bookmarked by not just both our friends and allies, but by our occassional adversaries in the health indsutry as well. But we welcome their readership as well--maybe we can convince some of them of our position!

Let us know how we can more more helpful, more useful, more relevant for the next 1,000 posts... My E-mail is awright@health-access.org.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 12:14 AM


 

Play ball...

Monday, March 03, 2008

The Health Access California board met on Friday, and provided direction for the year.

Just like baseball's spring training, the season is really just starting in the legislature, and in the new budget process.

It won't be a surprise that the biggest items on our agenda will be the fight-back on budget cuts, and the continuing health reform efforts at the state and federal level over the next three years. The last several years have seen us get come very close to major expansions in health coverage, and just like in previous years where the effort is blocked at some point in the process, we dust ourselves off and continue the fight, and come back stronger.

And now, that effort will be both at the state and federal level. It's clear that health care reform will be a top domestic priority in the 2008 presidential campaign, and likely in many Congressional elections as well. With a new president, health care will rise on the national policy discussion in 2009 and 2010. And back here in our state, rather than simply let the federal debate play out, it's clear that California is more likely to lead than to follow--it's just what we do.

We'll have more about specific legislative efforts and budget activities in upcoming posts. But there's a lot to do!

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, YearOfReform

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 1:19 AM


 

LA Stories...

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Our friends at the California Public Interest Research Group, CALPIRG, is sponsoring a community meeting on health care reform and prescription drug issues on Monday. CALPIRG Advocate Michael Russo will lead the discussion, including the following topics:
· What happened to the comprehensive health care reform bill and why
· Next steps: how to keep health care reform on the agenda
· Prescription drug safety and affordability
· Drug company marketing – TV ads to consumers and lavish gifts to doctors

When: Monday, February 25, at 7 PM
Where: Room 100, Von KleinSmid Center, University of Southern California, 3518 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles
For more information: Contact Michael Russo, Health Care Advocate and Staff Attorney, CALPIRG, mrusso@calpirg.org, or (213)251-3680 x332.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 8:43 PM


 

Dusting myself off...

Saturday, February 02, 2008

It's Groundhog Day, as I re-emerge...

As readers of the blog may have noticed, I've stayed away from posting for a few days, except for an initial reaction, a first crack reflecting on future health reform chances in other states and here in California, and links to what others are saying.

My lack of posts is more than abiding by the saying "if you can't say anything nice....", or even spending some time with my little boy (who is lucky to be insured, unlike over 800,000 California children who could have been helped... whoops, there's the bitterness again). It's actually surprising that you can be as busy in defeat as in victory, from trying to understand the outcome, recalibrate plans and begin to regroup, and catch up on all the work that was neglected during the final push for reform.

We'll have more to post about next steps in health reform--beyond the immediate debates like who's to blame, whether the Senate hearing was "fair" or "hostile," or what could have been done differently, by proponents or opponents of AB x1 1.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done, and Californians--insured and uninsured--need help, desperately and immediately. There will be the annual "Insure the Uninsured Project" conference on Wednesday, and I'm on a panel that was going to be talking about the ballot campaign, and that now is charged with the question "What's next?" We're in the process of developing the answer.

The most immediate issue now is the pending budget cuts. Monday afternoon will bring a full Senate Budget Committee hearing on the health cuts, and the next two weeks will be a mad dash to pass a mid-year cuts package. And that's only the opening act, to the main fight in the next several months over the much bigger cuts proposed for the 2008-09 budget.

So the groundhog says at least six months of budget battles.

Labels: Budget, HealthAccessCommunity, YearOfReform

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 3:38 PM


 

New Health Access hire

Friday, February 01, 2008

We have a new colleague at Health Access. Here's Jefferson Wright, hard at work -- just like his dad.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Hanh Kim Quach | Permalink | 1:15 PM


 

Season's Greetings

Monday, December 24, 2007

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 3:05 PM


 

Kudos to CUs

Friday, December 21, 2007

Saw a report tonight in the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on lead paint in toys as a major health issue. As a father of a 14-month old, it got my attention, and that was before it interviewed a college classmate, and her economic studies showing a correlation between lead and crime statistics.

But much of it hailed the work of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, taking on the lackluster oversight provided by the Bush Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Board on this issue.

I was reminded of a recent New York Times article spotlighting Consumer Reports and its parent organization, Consumers Union. The article, called "Success Without Ads" gives only a hint of the work that CU goes through to maintain its independence and reputation. Not only do they not take ads, they refuse to let their name be run in other people's ads. They don't accept any sample products.

The article talks about the test facility in Yonkers, NY, which I had the priviledge of touring many months ago. It's pretty impressive and surreal. One room is totally devoted to washers and dryers, another just on light fixtures and ceiling fans. It's pretty impressive.

I've had the chance to work alongside the good folks at CU for the entirely of my career in consumer advocacy, in one way or another, working with DC advocacy, their Yonkers headquarters, and most recently, their San Francisco office. I am proud they have been an active members of the Health Access California board, and it's great they have been getting a little more attention.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 1:38 AM


 

The Season of Giving...

Thursday, December 20, 2007

To the thousands of people that read this blog in the course of a week, we thank you for coming and being involved and engaged in the health policy debate in California. If this blog and the other work of Health Access has provided a service, a resource, or just an excuse to procrastinate, please consider making an end-of-year contribution to the Health Access Foundation. You can simply click here.

It's been an exciting year. We've been busy, and not just with "the year of health reform" and pushing as hard as possible for consumers on affordability, cost containment, and other key health issues. We've also been working on the SCHIP and children's coverage, timely access to care and other regulations to oversee HMOs, assisting language access and medical interpretation, implementing our new law against hospital overcharging, working to watchdog both government agencies and the health industry on behalf of California consumers, and keeping alive the vision of universal single-payer health care in the midst of the battles of the moment.

Next year, we'll need your support and contributions, as we gear up a major campaign against health care buddget cuts, continue the work around both immediate and long-term health reform, and work to make health care a major issue in the campaign season.

The more support we have, the more we can do. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated.

For individuals who want to make a tax-deductible contribution to research, education, and organizing work, click here:
http://www.health-access.org/hafcontibution.htm

For organizations who want to join Health Access California as a organizational member for 2008, click here:
http://www.health-access.org/joinhac/organization_signup.htm

Thank you for your consideration and contribution this holiday season.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 1:30 AM


 

Louise Jones, R.I.P.

Monday, December 10, 2007

I went to the funeral of Louise Jones today, who passed away peacefully last Wednesday. She was battling a medical condition that led her to leave her
job as our Administrative Assistant here at Health Access a few years ago.

Knowing she was terminal, she left a lovely note that was distributed at the service that described her incredible life, from being born in the Bronx of West Indies background, to her large and growing family of which she clearly was the matriarch, her move to California, and even her advocacy for rent control in East Palo Alto.

The note from beyond expressed her pride in working, for the past 12 years, for advocacy organizations for the homeless, for children's causes, and for health care for all Californians. It was clear she cared about these issues, and her large family that clearly gave her great purpose and love. She will be missed.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 4:48 PM


 

Thanks and congratulations...

Sunday, November 25, 2007

With Thanksgiving starting the holiday season, it would be appropriate to send congratulations to some of our friends and allies.

Earl Lui, a former Consumers Union advocate and Health Access California board member, who is now at the California Wellness Foundation, just announced the arrival of his new baby, with his wife Fi.

Dustin Corcoran, from our frequent allies at the California Medical Association, and his wife Glenda, of Assemblyman Hector De La Torre's office, had their first child in the last month as well.

Both babies have scored the jackpot in the parent department.

And all the best wishes to Marin (Bogema) Nakasone, our amazingly adept administrative assistant, who last week celebrated her wedding in their hometown in Hawaii. We hear the bride and the ceremony was beautiful.

We're happy for all of them in their new lives.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 9:57 AM


 

It's someone you know....

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Marty Omoto is an warrior for people with disabilities, and I've had the pleasure of working with him over the years. He is also of the "send E-mail constantly" school of advocacy, trying to put out as much information so people can be the most effective in their efforts in trying to influence the sometimes opaque world of Sacramento.

For those who don't have the pleasure of getting his E-mail updates, I wanted to post a selection from what he sent recently, explaining his absence.

I am writing this note to let people know that I have been out of action for the past week and half due to my health (though avidly keeping track of the major news events of the world as covered by CNN and all the major news media, which of course means only what happens next to Britney Spears).

About a week and half ago I was hospitalized in Sacramento due to major internal bleeding that began - unknown to me at the time - the previous Wednesday (September 26). The doctors said it probably was happening over the past year, but reached a critical point at that time. In the next few days I lost nearly 50% of my blood volume (or, for those optimists who always see life as "half full", I retained half of my blood volume). At that point I was, according to the ER, very close to going into shock that could have led to cardiac arrest and a visit to the "other side". Well, I guess not a visit.

I was rushed in time to the hospital on Sunday (September 30), where I was given a lot of blood transfusions, and IVs that pumped all sorts of things into me, though apparently not the good sense that so many people think I still need. Some things can't be corrected....

They later did several procedures to successfully stop the bleeding related to extreme hypertension (high blood pressure) that was, before this happened, over 250/140. Well, that just goes to show you that a person can walk around with all sorts of bad things going on inside.

I am fine now - getting back my strength each day - and I am resuming work this week...

Health Care and No Insurance

I do not have medical insurance - but it is not by my choice. I don't have medical insurance - like so many others in this country and in California, because it is simply not affordable. And that makes health care and prescription drugs out of reach. I am living proof of that - as so many others are in this country and in this state.
Every doctor and nurse that treated me, asked me all sorts of questions, including, over and over, why I wasn't taking any medication for high blood pressure. They seem perplexed why I didn't. They were all wonderful and good people. But they seemed not to understand why a person with a health problem that might be solved by medication would end up at the ER.

Sometimes showing up at a hospital ER without medical insurance feels like going to church once a year all dressed up - with the pastor or priest or rabbi sort of staring and shaking their heads, with that look of "if you only would show up more often..." life would be so much better.

In the intensive care unit, most of the time I was too out of it to explain and would simply say "I don't have health insurance". That would generally stop any further questions on that topic, though I did wonder, upon hearing that news, if the nurses and doctors would start yanking out the tubes and somehow pump the blood transfusions back out of me. They were however, cool about it - but I just wondered if they understood. It just sometimes depends where one's life experience happens to come from.

You can get pretty emotional after lying in ICU for awhile. I couldn't help think about what happened to my family and what happened to me and what could have happened. My family was pretty upset, including my dad who had lost his only two daughters in the last four years.

I finally, in a very emotional quiet voice, told one doctor who seemed not to understand that "I didn't choose not to have health insurance. I can't afford it. My sister couldn't afford medication for her heart - and she died. My sisters died. Do you understand that we didn't choose for any of this to happen? Can you understand that? It's not that we didn't want to choose something better. We didn't have a choice."

I said it very gently, because this particular doctor was so compassionate and simply seemed perplexed - like that devoted church person or pastor who doesn't understand why a person would only show up to church once a year. The doctor actually had tears in his eyes, and held my hand and just said softly "I am so sorry. I understand. I am so sorry."

California has the best hospitals, doctors, nurses and other health professionals in the world - if you are lucky enough to have access to them. This time, I was very, very lucky enough to get tremendously good and compassionate care. I was lucky to get any health care. Next time I may not. Too many other Californians share this same experience. If you are lucky, you might get health care. But luck should have nothing to do with it. Somehow, that needs to change.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, Schwarzenegger

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 10:52 AM


 

Resources!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Just a reminder to look at the home page of the Health Access website as a reference during special session, which features various new documents and resource pages, including:

* a resource page on legislation, including a list of bills on the Governor's desk, and two-year bills still pending in the Legislature
* a resource page on health reform, including charts comparing the Governor's plan and AB8, and AB8 with the earlier SB2/Prop 72, and Health Access' letter to the Governor on AB8.
* an AB8 fact sheet.
* a comparison chart highlighting the lack of consumer protections in the individual market, as compared to Massachusetts.
* our paper on how high deductible plans aren't a benefit to the majority of Californians with minimal assets.

You'll also notice other good stuff, including archives of the ballot and legislative fights on expanding employer-based coverage, prescription drugs, and other issues. We also have the archive of the state's Health Care Options Project, which re-started this conversation over six years ago, providing studies of ways to expand coverage.

More to come!

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 12:01 AM


 

A nudge/shove to get something done...

Thursday, September 20, 2007

National health advocacy organization, Families USA released a report today entitled "Wrong Direction: One Out of Three Americans are Uninsured,'' which features California in fourth place for the highest percentage of uninsured in a two-year period.

Specifically, in the 2006-07 time frame, 13 million Californians are likely to be uninsured at some point in time. This jives with the 6.5 million uninsured at some point annually.

That means 40.5 percent of Californians under 65 find themselves without health coverage at some point during a two-year period. Could be a month. Could be three months. Or, for 8.6 million, it's longer than 6 months, the study finds.

This number has grown since the beginning of the decade, when 11 million were uninsured over a two-year period (or 35 percent of the population).

Why is this happening? Why are the ranks of uninsured growing? Simple.

* Health insurance is more expensive.
* Fewer employers are offering coverage.
* There's less money for public programs to cover the poor or near-poor.

That's why it's a good thing that we're all still ready *i hope* to keep talking about health care this year. At least 13 million are ready.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, InTheNews, Uninsured, YearOfReform

posted by Hanh Kim Quach | Permalink | 11:18 AM


 

Officially wonked!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Our blog is featured today at the Health Wonk Review, hosted by Daniel Goldberg at the Medical Humanities Blog: lots of other interesting stuff there as well.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity, OtherBlogs

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 10:38 AM


 

Coverage of coverage expansions...

Friday, June 08, 2007

In short order, we'll put up a list of health bills and their fates with regard to today's deadline to pass their first floor vote.

Even with all the bills, newspapers covered the passage of the big health reform bills, including Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee, Mike Zapler in the Contra Costa Times Jordan Rau in the Los Angeles Times, and Tom Chorneau in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Why was the vote important? I've always said that this debate was five years in the making: that the California legislature has previously voted to expand coverage to workers, to children, and to all Californians. But those all have been in previous terms, with a different list of legislators. With term limits and everything else, it was important for policymakers to come on record endorsing a range of reforms, some new, some old. It provides a baseline for the continuing debate this summer.

Labels: HealthAccessCommunity

posted by Anthony Wright | Permalink | 12:51 PM