Clean Money Bill Passes, Interesting Debate on Health Care

It's impossible to keep up with all the bills passing in the California Legislature, but there is the good news that the Clean Money pilot program, which would make 3 races in 2010 (1 Assembly race, 1 Senate race, and the Governor) publicly financed, got through the Assembly by a 45-34 vote. It would be amazing to see a true public financing system coming to California. The legislature is doing a pretty good job of getting progressive ideas through their respective chambers. Whether they'll be signed into law is another matter.

And here's some more about the passage of SB 840, the single-payer universal health care bill, in the California State Senate.

This section is telling, and an object lesson on how to deal with Republicans who will lie and lie about health care in this country. It's important for every Democrat who wants to talk about health care to read this.

In the staid Senate, there was little debate on the measure. Being its fifth time around the block, Capitol watchers expect nothing other than a party-line (or near party-line) vote on the measure.

However, Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, did take the opportunity to attack the nationalized health care systems of other countries.

“There’s no question that we have problems with the high cost of health care, but to say we have the lowest standard of health care, or that we’re at the bottom of industrialized nations is not a true statement,’’ Aanestad said.

Contrary to what Aanestad said, though, the U.S. spends more on health care, but gets less, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The latest numbers show that the U.S. spends $7,800 per capita on health care, nearly twice as much as Canada’s $4,050; the UK spends $3,250. Meanwhile, the US ranks 21st in life expectancy (Canada ranks 7th and the UK ranks 18th), and 23rd in infant mortality behind Canada and the UK .

Aanestad went on to say that the “the only universal health care ... (seen) in the US is the outmoded and substandard Veterans Administration Health Care system. Do you really want your American health care to end up in the Veterans’ Administration model?”

Lastly, Aanestad proclaimed that “if I needed bypass surgery, I could not get it (in Canada) because I’m over 60 years old and I would be put on a waiting list because I’m too old to qualify for bypass surgery.’’ On the other hand, in the U.S. “If I needed bypass surgery, I’d have it tonight,’’ he said.

Sen. Kuehl contradicted this statement.

“This notion that waiting lists exists somewhere else, but not in America ? Maybe for the privileged few of us who can get right in. But there are a lot of people in my district – the richest district in the state and the one with probably the highest number of people insured – who are still on waiting lists, whether with Kaiser, or with Blue Cross,’’ said Kuehl, who represents Santa Monica.

“You can’t just run right in and get your bypass surgery,’’ Kuehl said.

Please read and absorb that. The Republicans are going to lie about health care. Everyone in this country knows the health care system. It's easier to lie about something more abstract like Iraq than health care, when everyone knows the deal. This, of course, is why they always shift the debate to health care in Europe. Democrats, all you have to do is SPEAK THE TRUTH. The people are with you.