When the California Medical Association hired Trial Lawyer and former Senator Joe Dunn, it looked like another "friendly" special interest buying into the "alligator theory." Please democrat legislators don’t eat me, but eat the others first.
But it was nice when Joe Dunn, now the newly minted Executive Vice President for the CMA briefed the Directors of the Los Angeles County Medical Assn. Dunn declared Arnold’s Health Plan is presently DOA last week.
First, contrary to what we heard about Speaker Nunez, Dunn says there are few legislators willing to "sponsor" the bill. And, Arnold has re-discovered how to get a whole lot a people across the spectrum mad at him at once. Arnold needlessly took on the public safety [cops] community which gave him hell over pension reform [ an idea he quickly abandoned…but the damage as done in the 2005 Initiatives].
Secondly, Arnold’s biggest prior booster the state Chamber is a rare display of fortitude loudly screamed against the employer mandate. The Hospital Association is ready to fight the 4% tax, the leftist California Nurses Assn are opposed. Blue Cross is opposed.
But don’t forget the 150,000 medical doctors. Forget about managed care, imposing medical decisions on doctors by high school graduates, and forget about huge mal-practice premiums….the docs are organizing and are in an ugly mood. Nothing in 35 years have galvanized doctors since the mal-practice crisis. And, they are all furious with the Governor.
One close associate of the Governor told me that this is only a "plan", subject to debate and change.
My guess is that given the strident opposition, and the growing concern by Republican legislators and the CRP, the Governor will back down to discuss "substantial modifications".
Expect to see Terminator Care vibrantly discuss at the upcoming CRP convention. Yes, there should be very lively discussion in the Resolutions Committee and on the Floor.
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:00 am
There may be several good resolutions on this topic, but this one was submitted on behalf of the California Republican Assembly:
Resolution Opposing Healthcare Tax & “Fee” Increases
Whereas, the Legislature is currently considering a proposal to mandate health insurance for every Californian and illegal alien, regardless of individual choice, priorities, or circumstances; and,
Whereas, this expensive proposal includes a 4% payroll tax on employers who do not provide government-sanctioned health coverage, a 4% gross receipts tax on all hospitals, a 2% gross receipts tax on all doctors, and a new tax on individuals not otherwise covered by government-sanctioned health insurance in the form of mandatory “insurance premiums” established by government; and,
Whereas, the proponents have called these new taxes and mandates “fees,” “coverage dividends,” “contributions,” and “insurance premiums” in an effort to exclude Republican legislators from the negotiations by evading Proposition 13’s two-thirds vote requirement for all tax increases; and,
Whereas, these new taxes will punish sick people, chase employers, doctors, and jobs out of our state, eliminate competition for healthcare, increase prices for medical services, reward illegal aliens for breaking our nation’s immigration laws, create irrational and counterproductive healthcare subsidies, encourage sick people from other states to migrate to our state, diminish the tax revenues available for essential government services, discourage economic growth, and restrict our personal freedom and individual autonomy; and,
Whereas, the California Republican Party has consistently opposed tax increases, particularly in the current environment in which government revenues have reached an all-time high; and,
Whereas, the California Republican Party has consistently opposed business mandates, obstacles to economic growth, and the burdensome laws and regulations that have made California’s business climate so hostile;
Therefore be it resolved, that the California Republican Party opposes all Legislative healthcare proposals containing new taxes, “fees,” and involuntary governmental charges known by any other name; and
Be it further resolved, that the California Republican Party authorizes its Board of Directors to take whatever action may be necessary to financially and materially assist any referendum campaign seeking to overturn any healthcare statute adopted without the support of a majority of the duly-elected Republicans in the Legislature.