Viewpoints: Trump’s Difficult Insurance Pledge
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Cheaper, Better 'Insurance For Everybody'? Good Luck With That
Let’s give Donald Trump, who will be sworn in Friday as the 45th president of the United States, the benefit of the doubt. Let’s take him at his word that he has a plan to provide “insurance for everybody” that is “much less expensive and much better,” as he said in an interview with the Washington Post. How will he do it? Trump didn’t reveal any details .... So I turned to several prominent healthcare experts — people who, unlike Trump, have spent many years studying this stuff — and asked how you’d cover everyone and do it better than current insurance plans and for less money. The experts were unanimous. It can’t be done. (David Lazarus, 1/20)
Orange County Register:
Repeal Of Affordable Care Act Would Hurt Californians; Fix It Instead
While state leaders are working to blunt the potential effects of the more extreme policies supported by President-elect Trump and congressional Republicans, the devastating effects that would result from the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would be unavoidable. Right out of the gate, nearly 5 million Californians would lose their health insurance.More than 3.7 million low-income adults — 1.1 million of whom live in Los Angeles County — would lose their Medi-Cal coverage. (Dianne Feinstein, 1/14)
Sacramento Bee:
A Better Way On Health Care
The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board makes dire predictions about what repealing Obamacare will mean for California, (“McCarthy may be hazardous to his own district’s health”; Editorials, Jan. 17). Unfortunately, the board gravely neglects the facts. It is true that millions of Californians receive health insurance coverage through Obamacare and in particular through the Medicaid expansion. But the number of insured matters little when the quality of the insurance is so dismal. (Kevin McCarthy, 1/19)
The Bakersfield Californian:
McCarthy May Be Hazardous To Kern County's Health
Gov. Jerry Brown and Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones couldn’t have differed more in the style of their recent responses to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s request for “ideas” on the pending repeal of the Affordable Care Act. But the substance, in both cases, was sobering. Brown’s letter was to the point. Jones’ was 23 pages, with footnotes.Both boiled down to a fairly clear message: Finding a real alternative is fine, but repealing Obamacare with no viable replacement will wreck insurance markets, send premiums soaring, blow a hole in the state budget and return us to a time when millions were just one health emergency away from the poorhouse. (1/19)
Modesto Bee:
Congress Must Take Care To Ensure That Access To Healthy Care Is Not Diminished
As the most populous state in the nation, California has reaped enormous benefits from recent health care reform. With the federal government as its partner, California has expanded access to affordable, high-quality, medically necessary health care programs and services to approximately 3.7 million children, seniors and individuals from working families. Imagine what that means to a family who previously could not afford preventive care, routine examinations and medications. (Daryn Kumar and Gary West, 1/18)
Los Angeles Times:
Donald Trump, Rand Paul And The Myth Of A Cheap Obamacare Replacement
News on the Obamacare-replacement front was dominated this past weekend by Donald Trump and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who both touted their Obamacare replacement plans. To be absolutely precise, they touted the claim that they had Obamacare replacement plans. They didn’t go into any great detail about what would be in those plans. (That didn’t stop CNN from captioning its interview with Paul, “Rand Paul Releases Obamacare Replacement Details.”) (Michael Hiltzik, 1/17)
Orange County Register:
America Needs Health Care That Works
Repeal of Obamacare has become a mantra of the new administration; one of many decrees to clean the proverbial swamp. Not so fast we hear from some in the GOP and the political left. And they’re probably correct to be cautious rather than cavalier and concentrate on fixing health care. Repeal gets us nowhere. It’s campaign rhetoric. The GOP needs to focus on a replacement that works to bring an opportunity for every American to purchase the affordable medical and health care that they need and want. (Marcy Zwelling-Aamot, 1/13)
Los Angeles Times:
How To Fight Back When An Insurer Denies Your Healthcare Claim
Insurance companies are playing the odds, patient advocates say. They’re counting on people not having the stamina to challenge every denied claim, even when there’s a valid medical reason for a drug or treatment being covered... Today I’ll provide some tips on jumping through the myriad hoops the insurance industry might throw your way if you choose to appeal a denied claim. While the appeals process is time-consuming and frustrating, it’s often worth putting up a fight. A 2011 study by the Government Accountability Office found that for the relatively small percentage of denied claims that were challenged, about half ended up being reversed. (David Lazarus, 1/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Glendale Is Bad For Your Health
If you do a simple Google search, you will see that Glendale routinely makes headlines as among the nation's most dangerous cities in which to drive, and this danger is compounded for pedestrians and bicyclists. We also have the highest insurance rates. These findings are based on insurance studies as well as California DMV data. (Shant Minas, 1/19)
Modesto Bee:
Sex-Ed Materials Need More Than A Switch To Digital
Modesto City Schools just considered new DVDs for its fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade health videos on family life and sex education to dump VHS tapes they no longer have enough VCRs to play. But not only the technological format needs an update. Modesto trustees in 2002 picked elementary films as part of their abstinence-only Sex Can Wait program adopted earlier, which remains the guiding policy of the district, said Marla Mack, senior director for elementary education services. Mack and a committee of parents, teachers and trustees found the replacements for VHS tapes no longer available in their original versions. (Nan Austin, 1/19)