Viewpoints: Republicans Have Been Busy Slipping Health Care Attacks Into Tax Bill
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Suddenly, The GOP Tax Bill Has Morphed Into An Attack On Your Healthcare
The line going around Washington these days is that the Republicans previously tried to hide a tax cut for the rich in their Obamacare repeal measures; and now they’re hiding an Obamacare repeal inside their tax cut bill. That’s correct. The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday slipped a provision into its tax cut bill that would effectively repeal the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. On the surface, this is a fiscal measure—it would theoretically reduce the federal deficit by $338 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Sabotage Obamacare To Finance More Tax Cuts For The Rich? No Thanks
As Republicans try to rush a tax bill through Congress, some lawmakers want to use the measure to kill a key piece of the Affordable Care Act. Doing so would free up more dollars for tax cuts, but in the most shortsighted and cynical way: by inducing fewer low- and moderate-income Americans to sign up for health insurance. Oh and yes, it would cause premiums to rise even faster for those who get their insurance coverage through Obamacare. (11/14)
Sacramento Bee:
This Is How Health Care Costs Are Stealing Your Raises
How do rising health costs reduce wages? Most full-time workers are paid a combination of wages and benefits. If the cost of benefits goes up, employers have less to pay wages – and the cost of health benefits to employers has been increasing rapidly for many years. (Glenn Melnick, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
In Landmark Ruling, Court Orders Paint Companies To Pay To Clean Lead Paint Out Of California Homes
In a ruling that could set a precedent for lawsuits over the effects of climate change, a panel of appeals judges on Tuesday found three paint manufacturers responsible for the health hazards of lead paint in California homes and upheld an order that they pay to abate the dangers. The companies — ConAgra, NL Industries and Sherwin-Williams — had been ordered by a trial court in 2014 to pay a combined $1.15 billion for a lead paint abatement program in 10 counties and cities covering homes built before 1978, when lead paint in homes was outlawed. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
‘Sleep Education’ Must Play A Role In Discussion About School Start Times
Do teenagers know how to sleep? If you’re the parent of a teen, you might be laughing to yourself. That’s all they know how to do. In truth, teens (and their parents) might not know enough about how to sleep, when to sleep and why. California is considering a bill that would require secondary schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. As a neurologist specializing in sleep medicine, I support the effort to give our state’s teens more time to sleep. But in all the discussions and debates about the economic and health implications of a later school start time, I’ve noticed one very important element is missing: sleep education. (Jay Puangco, 11/14)
Sacramento Bee:
We Don’t Need More Awareness On Homeless. We Need Solutions
This week is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, but do Californians really need to be reminded? Tattered tents along sidewalks, beat-up recreational vehicles parked on streets and panhandlers are common. Last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development documented that California is home to 22 percent of all the homeless in the country. (Joel John Roberts, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
He Served As A Marine In Vietnam And Later Dedicated His Life To Helping Struggling Vets And Others. Now He's Fighting For His Life
Ken Williams, who grew up in La Mirada, saved the draft board the cost of a stamp. "I volunteered," he said. "I was raised to serve our country. You didn't question it." He went to Vietnam with the 9th Marines in 1969, saw action and made it home considerably less gung-ho about the war. That's when he made a commitment to social work, particularly in the service of struggling veterans and those with mental health issues. (Steve Lopez, 11/11)
Orange County Register:
Banning Legal Marijuana Doesn’t Stop Illegal Market
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to advance an ordinance to prohibit commercial cannabis activity and outdoor personal cultivation in the county’s unincorporated areas ahead of Jan. 1, when new state laws pertaining to marijuana go into effect. By prohibiting such activity, the majority of Orange County supervisors are out of step with the will of most Orange County voters, 52 percent of whom backed Prop. 64 last November, legalizing recreational marijuana. The lone vote against the ordinance was Supervisor Shawn Nelson, who specifically mentioned the will of the voters in his dissent. (11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
California Politicians In Washington Need To Defend The State's Pot Laws From Federal Attack
The Obama administration took a largely hands-off approach to cannabis after Colorado and Washington legalized it for recreational purposes in 2012. But while President Trump campaigned on respecting state laws, his pick of longtime legalization foe Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general instilled fear and uncertainty in the industry. Last year, Sessions said that "good people don't smoke marijuana." If the Department of Justice moves against California's cannabis industry, can members of the state's congressional delegation be counted on to stand up for their constituents? (Tom Angell, 11/17)