CA: LEGISLATIVE ALERT: SB840 -- socialized Medicine

Sent to me; no url. But below the snip is one from the SF Chronicle, and with link.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE ALERT
RE: SB 840 – Socialized Medicine
Author: Senator Sheila Kuehl
Position: Strongly OPPOSE
Status: In California State Senate

Summary of Concerns:

SB 840 is an aggressive plan to bring socialized medicine into California by replacing private health insurance with a mandatory state-run program for every California resident. SB 840 will: 1) force every California resident above poverty level to pay a state insurance premium (hidden tax); 2) destroy the current system of choices of health care coverage; 3) drive up the cost of health care coverage; 4) reduce the quality of health care available; 5) reduce the availability of health care, forcing some families to go out of state to obtain health care for their family members; 6) create a new huge government bureaucracy that will make life and death medical decisions; and 7) place all final health care decisions in the hands of a single government board and its commissioner.

SB840, by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, made it out of the Senate Health Committee on a partisan vote -- but only as a nod to the political left. The bill is expected to die unless legislators decide to force a veto by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger so Democrats can taunt him for killing reform.