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Sacramento Bee
June 1, 2005
By Kevin Yamamura
The state Senate passed legislation Tuesday
to establish a universal health care system that would replace
existing private plans, though Democratic supporters acknowledged
that the bill remains a work in progress.
Senate Bill 840 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa
Monica, would create a new state health insurance agency that
would be led by a new elected health commissioner. The bill
does not include a funding solution. Kuehl asked her colleagues
to approve the bill to keep the proposal active.
The Democrat-led Senate voted 24-14 for the
measure, sending it to the Assembly.
"We're the fifth-largest economy in
the world, the leading economy in the nation, and yet we cannot
say we can cover our people effectively with health care,"
said Sen. Richard Alarcón, D-Sylmar.
Republicans attacked the proposal by asserting
that it would lead to delays in health care services and would
cost the state billions of dollars. Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster,
also blamed some Californians for not taking enough responsibility
for their own medical care.
"The reality is, we have many of those
who actually have insurance available to them who haven't
signed up yet," Runner said. "Over 75 percent of
Californians have access to insurance."
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