Policy Update

Republicans Question Cost of Governor's Health Plan

Under Governor Schwarzenegger's health reform plan, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families would be expanded to help provide coverage to low- and moderate-income state residents, and individuals who declined to carry insurance could face a reduction in state income tax refunds or have wages withheld. Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) has proposed an alternative, single-payer system, in which all healthcare costs would be paid for by the State. A bill to set up such a system passed the State Assembly last year, but Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed it, saying he didn't think it was a good idea to put the State in charge of administering health care.

Sen. Sam Aanestad (R-Nevada City), vice chair of the Senate Health Committee, attacked the governor's plan as too expensive after a recent committee meeting. At issue is both the cost of covering all Californians, which the governor has promised; and the amount of the increase in dollars flowing to health care professionals, which the senator believes the governor's plan overestimates. With opposition to the Democratic single-payer plan from the governor, and opposition to the governor's plan from both sides of the legislature, Sen. Aanestad acknowledged that the health care plan the taxpayers get may be a "hybrid" between the two proposals. Read More

Kuehl Pushes for Expansion of Paid Family Leave

On February 23, 2007, Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) introduced a bill (S.B. 727) which would expand eligibility for the state's Paid Family Leave law to include workers who provide care for a seriously ill grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law, or sibling. Currently, workers are allowed to take up to six weeks off and be paid about 55% of their wages to care only for a seriously ill parent, child, spouse, or registered domestic partner, or to bond with a new child.

Recently, the California Senate Office of Research released a report called "Balancing Work and Family," which was requested by Senator Kuehl, on the use of Paid Family Leave. It found that over 400,000 Californians have benefited from the program, 10% of the claims were for family caregiving and 90 percent were for bonding with a new child, and about 80 percent of beneficiaries were women. Siblings, grandparents and in-laws needing to provide care accounted for the largest number of claims denied. Read More

To subscribe or unsubscribe to California Caregiver, please visit www.californiacrc.org/californiacrc/jsp/newsletter/registration.jsp