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Friends of the Fourth
District:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature
eventually came to terms recently on one of the most contentious
debates of the current legislative session by finally passing the
State budget, albeit 51 days late. The challenge now for lawmakers
in Sacramento is to get back on track with the politically volatile,
yet very necessary reform of health care coverage in the State of
California.
The idea of health care reform is certainly not new. Various reform
proposals have been floating around for years, but the issue
exploded onto the political landscape earlier this year when the
Governor's first budget proposal included a $12 billion universal
health care plan that would mandate that almost all Californians
would have health insurance. It was a topic that quickly garnered
significant attention by the media, the health-care industry, and
other political leaders. Nearly everyone involved agreed that
something needed to be done to provide care to be 6.5 million
Californians who have no health coverage.
As the year wore on and other political fires ignited, the issue of
health care reform quickly went to the back burner as concerns grew
that consensus could never be achieved between the Republican and
Democratic leadership within the Legislature. Now, with just a few
weeks remaining in this year's legislative session and over 900
bills still on the table for lawmakers to consider, the various
health care reform proposals should be at the top of the list to
take action on.
There is no question that the residents of the County of Los Angeles
would be better served by comprehensive health care reform. Although
specifics are still being worked out, any effort to expand health
insurance coverage is a step in the right direction. The statistics
of health care in this County reveal how great the need is for
reform. Of our 10.5 million residents, approximately 2 million have
no health insurance and 900,000 of those individuals are children
under the age of 18.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is the second
largest public health system in the nation. Last year, we provided
medical care to more than 700,000 people. Within our network of
hospitals, comprehensive health centers, and primary care clinics,
we have 10% of the County's hospital bed capacity and provide 35% of
the region's trauma care. More than 55% of all inpatient burn care
happens in County facilities and 13% of all emergency room visits
Countywide are within our hospitals.
The men, women, and children living in Los Angeles County who have
no health coverage make up nearly 70% of all the people who interact
with the County's health care system, making Los Angeles County the
largest provider of care to the uninsured in California and the
Nation. It is these same individuals who would benefit most from
health care reform.
Californians must have meaningful choices when it comes to their
health care and recent polls seem to suggest that residents across
the State agree with that idea. A Field Poll released within the
last week found that 69% of Californians are unhappy with the
current health care system. That number jumped dramatically from a
similar poll last December that found that 44% of residents were
unsatisfied.
The Governor and Legislative leaders appear committed to reforms of
some kind as is evidenced by the proposals that are currently
floating around Sacramento. Whatever the debate may be in the near
future about the specifics of health care reform, the incredible
need for better health coverage for California's millions of
uninsured residents remains. It is a topic that should remain at the
forefront of the work and debate lawmakers will undertake in the few
weeks that remain in the current legislative session.
DON KNABE
Supervisor, Fourth District
County of Los Angeles
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