Legislative Advocacy
Click here for a list of 2008 Candidate Endorsements
CNA Sponsored bills:
Single Payer Health Care Coverage, SB 840
by Senator Sheila Kuehl (Santa Monica); CNA principal sponsor
Californian’s health care system is in crisis with 6.5 million without health insurance, costs driven up by insurance bureaucracy, and constantly shrinking benefits with employees paying more and more of the costs.
This bill would establish the California Universal Healthcare System (CUHS) under which all California residents would be eligible for comprehensive health care benefits. The CUHS would, like Medicare, be the public payer for private providers and patients would choose their doctor and hospital and never receive an insurance bill.
It would be financed by eliminating insurance gatekeeping and profits and using the billions of dollars to provide care to everyone. This bill will be heard in Senate Appropriations on Monday May 14th.
Single Payer Health Care Coverage: Financing, SB 1014
by Senator Sheila Kuehl (Santa Monica); CNA principal sponsor
This bill creates the California Health Insurance System Funding law that places a payroll tax on all employers and income tax on employees (like Medicare) for the purpose of funding a single-payer health care system (SB 840). Employers would pay about an 8.17% payroll tax on specified incomes and the employees would be taxed about 3.78% of payroll on specified incomes unless they had another agreement in a collective bargaining contract. (most health plans cost employers 9-12% ). With this financing and the public programs such as Medicare, MediCal, Medicaid; all Californians will better benefits, and will not have their healthcare coverage dependent on insurance companies and employers. Retirees not yet 65 will be covered by this plan and will not have to worry about being denied due to pre-existing conditions or driven into medical bankruptcy. Due to State budget implications, the bill is currently being held in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Collective Bargaining: Direct Care RN’s, AB 1201
by Assembly Member Mark Leno (San Francisco);
The Bush NLRB is trying to limit RNs in collectively advocating for themselves and their patients.
On October 4, 2006, the National Labor Relations Board declared that hospital RN’s across the country who exercise professional clinical judgment in the interests of patents are “supervisors” and thus ineligible to join unions. AB 1201 would ensure that California’s direct care nurses preserve their collective bargaining rights, thereby preserving their rights under their existing contracts to challenge hospital staffing and effectively advocate for quality health care for their patients. The bill will passed out of the Assembly Labor Committee and is pending a hearing in Assembly Appropriations.
Lift Teams and Equipment, SB 171
by Pro Tem Don Perata (Oakland)
More healthcare workers, 95% who are women, suffer debilitating musculoskeletal work injuries than construction and truck drivers costing hundreds of millions of dollars every year; yet hospitals have been slow to use the latest injury prevention lift equipment and lift teams.
This bill requires all general acute care hospitals to implement a “zero lift” policy that will use the latest occupational health methods of safely moving, transferring, and repositioning patients by teams of workers trained in methods and equipment that help nurses and healthcare givers safely move patients. The bill will also prohibit hospitals from disciplining healthcare workers who refuse to lift a patient because of safety concerns from lack of adequate equipment, training, or access to lift teams. The bill is being held in Senate Appropriations on Suspense. However, the bill will be released and will move to a vote on the Senate Floor.
Health Facilities: Financing, AB 371
by Assembly Member Jared Huffman (San Rafael);
Billions of dollars are being spent on hospital construction with public, tax exempt bonds; but most hospitals do not have lifting equipment and policies to limit injuries.
This bill requires every general acute care hospital that applies for financing for the issuance of tax exempt bonds, to provide a copy of the hospital’s injury and prevention program. The copy of the program shall specify how the hospital plans to implement or has implemented the program with a specified zero lift policy. The bill would also require that the entity requesting tax exempt bonds to include in the application process, the allocation of financial resources for the planning, purchase, construction, and installation of equipment to implement the zero lift policy. The bill passed out of the Assembly Labor Committee and is pending a hearing in the Assembly Appropriation Committee.
Bills on CNA Watch:
Nurse Practitioner: scope of practice bills:
By Assembly Members Ed Hernandez (Baldwin Park), Roger Niello (Sacramento);
and Senators Roy Ashburn (Bakersfield) and George Runner (Antelope Valley);
There are a number of NP bills that we are watching closely as their content is in flux. None of the above bills have been set for hearing.
Bills to Oppose:
Health Savings Accounts
There are various proposals introduced in the legislature that deal with Health Savings Accounts. All bills are currently in the Revenue and Taxation committees.
by Assembly Member Alan Nakanishi (Lodi),
by Assembly Member Chuck Devore (Irvine)
by Senator Abel Maldonado (Santa Maria)
by Senator Tom Harman (Orange)
NATIONAL
SUPPORT HR 676 (CONYERS) - Healthcare For All Americans
The United States National Health Insurance Act establishes an American a single payer health care system. The bill would create a publically financed, privately delivered health care program that uses the already existing Medicare program by expanding and improving it to all U.S. residents, and all residents living in U.S. territories. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that all Americans, guaranteed by law, will have access to the highest quality and cost effective health care services regardless of one’s employment, income, or health care status.
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