Campaign
Update
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Inside This Issue:
Today, Speaker Fabian Nuñez and the Assembly Health Committee convened an informational hearing to addressGovernor Schwarzenegger's Healthcare Reform Proposal. Amongst an over-crowded, energetic hearing room, panels of healthcare experts responded to the various components of the Governor's plan while many other advocates and constituents awaited an opportunity to voice concerns during public commentary.
Deena Lahn, Policy Director for the Children's Defense Fund California, presented on the Government Programs panel on behalf of the 100% Campaign. She provided critical testimony on the importance of providing health coverage to ALL children in California this year. Deena spoke to the urgency of not only expanding coverage for all children but also of ensuring that children currently insured do not lose their coverage. She noted that the Governor's proposal contains important provisions for children, including policies to expand coverage to all children in families with incomes at or below 300% of poverty. However, Deena also noted three fundamental flaws in the Governor's current proposal:
- It provides no assistance for children for nearly three years;
- It does not secure long-term funding for children's coverage (or any coverage); and
- It is missing effective recruitment strategies to reach eligible children
"Any health care reform plan must include funding and policy to begin covering ALL children in California beginning in 2008...We urge the Governor and the Legislature not to leave Sacramento, and the special session, without finding a way to bring health coverage to ALL children in California." -Deena Lahn, Policy Director, Children's Defense Fund CA
On Saturday, November 3rd, MomsRising – an online advocacy group with over 20,000 members in California– is hosting a Health Reform Forum in Berkeley. Assembly Members Loni Hancock (Berkeley) and Mark DeSaulnier (Concord) will be addressing the issue of California healthcare reform and would like to hear from you! Please join MomsRising, advocates and fellow concerned Californians in urging policy makers to ensure that any meaningful health care reform package passed this year includes the policies and the funding necessary to provide every child in California with access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health care coverage!
HEALTH REFORM FORUM
Saturday, November 3rd
11:00 AM
Live Oak Community Center, 1301 Shattuck Ave. (at Berryman) in Berkeley
Health care coverage for children is making headlines! Follow the links below to read more…
From the San Jose Mercury News
For more information, please contact Krystal Moreno Lee at klee@childrennow.org or 916-443-1680.
The 100% Campaign,
a collaborative effort of The Children's Partnership, Children Now
and Children's Defense Fund, was created to ensure that all of California's
children obtain the health insurance they need to grow up strong
and healthy.
www.100percentcampaign.org
The PICO California
Project is the united effort of 20 California congregation-community
organizations affiliated with the PICO National Network. Collectively,
we represent 350 congregations and 400,000 families statewide and
are actively organizing in over 70 cities in Northern and Southern
California.
www.picocalifornia.org