Health Care Legislation - Lost But Not Forgotten
by Jim Groth, CTA Director, District P, Chula Vista Educators/CTA/NEA

The current California budget crisis complicates the on-going health care crisis. Health care legislation is lost, but not forgotten in Sacramento. Special health care legislation, ABX 1, failed in a California Senate Committee in January. A CTA co-sponsored measure, SB 840, is stalled in the Legislature. However, health care remains a top priority for CTA and its members. Health care issues will be an important part of the upcoming SDEA bargaining negotiations.

The CTA State Council of Education has adopted principles for health care reform legislation. These principles include:

1. Reform legislation must make health care more affordable for CTA members and all Californians.
2. Reform legislation must expand access to coverage for all Californians without causing adverse impact on district budgets.
3. Reform legislation must seek to control excess health care costs.
4. Reform legislation must address efficiency.
5. Reform legislation must ensure patient choice and protect the                   doctor-patient relationship. Patients and their health care providers should make medical decisions free of interference from HMOs and
   insurance company bureaucrats.
6. Reform legislation must address the quality of care.
7. Legislation should not fragment risk pools, grant tax breaks or credits that affect State revenue and Proposition 98 or shift risk on CTA members
   and Californians health care individual insurance instead of social insurance (e.g. Health Savings Accounts, opt outs, benefits on the
   schedule, cash in lieu).

"We are absolutely resolute in our belief that each and every Californian should have affordable health care, with the bulk of the costs borne by employers," insists CTA President David A. Sanchez. "We will not rest until we have achieved that goal, no matter how long it takes."

Obviously, the current California budget crisis is the top priority of CTA. However, health care issues are not forgotten.

Updated California budget crisis information is always available at www.cta.org.  Additional information is available at the Education Coalition website www.protectourstudents.net.

(Jim can be contacted at Jgroth@cta.org or through the SDEA office.)