Gov. Schwarzenegger Holds Press Conference at California Hospital Medical Center to Discuss Health Care Reform

Gov. Schwarzenegger Holds Press Conference at California Hospital Medical Center to Discuss Health Care Reform

DR. MARK MEYERS: Welcome to California Hospital and Medical Center. I'm Mark Meyers, Hospital President. On behalf of this hospital and its 2,000 employees and members of the medical staff, we are pleased to host today's event.

California Hospital and Medical Center is part of Catholic Health Care West, and we applaud the courage of the Governor and the Speaker, who have seized this rare opportunity to enhance the lives of millions of Californians. They are committed to making sure the important issue of health care reform is addressed. We also want to take this opportunity to thank Senator Perata and the other Senate Leaders who have worked hard with us, and will continue to work with us, to achieve health care reform.

Reform, including how hospitals are paid through government programs like Medi-Cal, will help stabilize health care for the next generation. We believe that health care is a right, it's a fundamental right, and that this legislation passed in the Assembly will help ensure that every Californian achieves health care access with dignity.

It's my pleasure to introduce you to a man with a vision for universal health care, a man whose leadership and commitment will make this vision a reality. Please welcome Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)

GOVERNOR: Thank you very much, Mark, for the wonderful introduction, and it is great to be back here again at this hospital, the California Hospital and Medical Center. Interestingly enough, that after my State of the State Address when I talked about and challenged everyone that we should reform our broken health care system, this was one of the first stops I made, was right here at this hospital. And this is where I found out that this hospital actually was stuck last year with 60 million dollars of unpaid bills because of uninsured people that are being treated here. And when you multiply that alone with all the hospitals that we have in California, it goes into the billions and billions of dollars. But this is just one of the problems.

But today I am a very happy camper, because then I said, when I was here, "I'll be back," and today -- as a matter of fact, the Speaker also said that line, "I'll be back," -- and today both of us are back here again, and with great news. And I want to say thank you very much to Speaker Núñez for his great leadership and believing in health care reform, and believing that everyone has the right to have health insurance, and to get treatment and have access. And it was wonderful to work with him this whole year, and I want to thank you for your great leadership and for following through and having the Assembly yesterday pass our health care reform bill. It was extraordinary, it was historic. It took us literally one step closer to the finish line.

And I know that Senator Perata -- I've known him for a long time now -- is a great leader, and that he will do the same with the Senate, because that will then get us to the position where we can then ask the people of California to approve our health care reform. And the people of California have been our partners all along. It was because of the people that we accomplished all of the things that we accomplished in this last few years. And we will be asking them again to approve this, so that we have all of the people in California insured.

Because I think it is time that we go and make the changes that are necessary. It's time for people to stop living in fear that they'll lose their health care coverage. It's time for people to stop living in fear that they literally have no insurance, can't get insurance, and therefore live a long hospital stay away from filing personal bankruptcy. I think it's time for all of us with coverage to stop being forced to pay twice, which means we pay for our coverage and then we also pay for the uninsured. It is time for the hardworking Californians and for families and businesses to stop seeing those double digit increases in medical costs every year. It's time for us also to take advantage of the 4 billion dollars in federal matching funds that is California's for the asking, and not to waste those 4 billion dollars. It's time that we add 4 billion dollars to Medi-Cal so the doctors and hospitals get reimbursed an appropriate amount of money.

So there is a great, great chance that we can accomplish all of those things here. And we have to work together; it is a very difficult task, I have to say, this is one of the most challenging things. But I think when you are governor of the State of California you have to take on those very difficult issues, if it is Workers' Compensation reform, or bringing businesses back, or fixing the budget system, or rebuilding California, or for instance redoing the health care system. Those are very challenging things.

As you know, since 1912 we have heard here in America about universal health care. Teddy Roosevelt talked about it in 1912 -- and this is the year, by the way, when the Titanic went down, so you know how long ago that was. And since then, they have been trying to reform health care and to bring about universal health care to America, and they were not successful. In 1948 Earl Warren, Governor Earl Warren tried it here in California and lost by one vote. So people have tried and tried and tried. This just shows you how difficult it is.

But I think that we are getting closer to it. And again, I want to say thank you very much to the Legislators yesterday for doing such a great job in the Assembly; especially the Democratic Legislators, I have to say, in the Assembly, who have done such an extraordinary job. I want to thank also all the stakeholders that came together, because we traveled up and down the state and talked about it and brought everyone in, all the stakeholders in, people that usually are on opposite sides that came together. Everyone was thinking about what is best for the people of California, so I think with that we can achieve it.

And again, I want to say thank you to Speaker Núñez, and I want to bring him out now, a great leader. Please welcome Speaker Núñez. (Applause)

SPEAKER FABIAN NÚÑEZ: First of all, I just want to say, you know, we've been talking about different analogies to describe where we are in the process of delivering for Californians the type of health care reform that they deserve, the type of health care reform that says that health care is a right, afford it to everybody, and not a privilege only afforded to those who have the economic wherewithal to pay for the best health care. And when you look at the football analogy, for example, you say you're moving the ball down the field, you're close to the field. I was thinking perhaps a soccer analogy is you score a couple of goals. And then I thought about a baseball analogy, and I realized that I can't come up with an analogy that makes sense. And I'll just tell you directly what the reality is.

Make no mistake about it. The most difficult thing in negotiating comprehensive health care reform is not when one House passes it or another House passes it. It is the negotiations that went into this. And we're happy to announce today, as we did yesterday, that those negotiations are now over; that we have come to an agreement on fundamental health care reform for California unlike anything the State of California has ever seen, and unlike anything this country has ever achieved in its history. And so for that, I want to thank Governor Schwarzenegger for his tenacity, for his vision, for his great leadership in coming together with us, me and Senator Perata, and negotiating what I believe will be truly something that will go down in history as one of the most remarkable achievements that California has ever been able to do. And Governor, thank you for all the work that you have done on this. Let's give him, those of us that are here, another round of applause for his great work. (Applause)

And I say this because if you look at the current broken health care system, health care costs are rising at two and a half times the rate of inflation. Now, if you're a business person and look at any type of business model, you would know that that is a failing business model.

But if you look at the real impact that this is having on real people, where you see their premiums that continue to rise and escalate at levels that are making health care less and less affordable for Californians -- for those people that have seen their premiums increase, help is on the way. For people who are concerned that perhaps their health insurance isn't going to provide them the full coverage that they need if they fall sick to some illness. For them, help is on the way. For people who develop a pre-existing condition and are concerned that their health insurance company is going to kick them to the curb, for those people, help is on the way. For the more than 800,000 children in the State of California that don't have health insurance, for all of these kids, we're going to demonstrate to them that they are the priority for the State of California, and for those kids help is on its way. For the thousands and thousands of workers in the State of California who work hard each and every day, yet can't afford to provide health care for them and their families, for them help is also going to be on its way.

Let me just tell you in nutshell what we're going to do with this health care reform plan. Over two-thirds of the uninsured in the State of California are going to be able to get the very best health insurance that we can provide by putting more money into the health care system, by expanding coverage to those who don't have it, by improving the quality of health care, and ultimately by reducing the cost to the overall health care system.

I'm very proud of the work that Governor Schwarzenegger, Senator Perata and I have done on this health care system. And yesterday was, I believe, the first example of how well received this plan was by the California State Assembly, where every Democratic Member of the Legislature voted for this plan. And it's a testament to the support that you have here today, and the support that we had yesterday, the diversity of support from business to labor, from hospitals to advocacy groups, from children's groups to other community-based organizations, and others who have come together.

Now, when you look at the opposition, they look a lot like us that are here, but there's a fundamental difference. A lot of people that oppose this bill have a stake in the health care system, and they might not necessarily be doing very well under this new plan. And we're going to see to it that health care works for the people, not for the businesses that are in the business of health care, like the private health insurance companies.

Yesterday I kind of pushed back on the private health insurers a little bit, and I do want to make a distinction, because there are some private health insurance companies that want to do the right thing, that want to spend 85 percent of the money that they take in back into patient care. But there are one or two that don't want to do that, that are resisting this effort, and are going to work hard to fight against us.

The message to them is that we're going to spend the next five months talking to the people of California to make sure that they know what it is that we're trying to do for them. And I think in the end this effort is going to once again build a little bit more confidence in state government, because that's the role of state government, to do the work of the people. And with this health care reform agenda, and with Governor Schwarzenegger's great vision and leadership, we're going to make this health care plan a reality for the people of California. I want to thank you very much for that. (Applause)

And then next I want to introduce Barbara Blake from AFSME.

BARBARA BLAKE: I'm Barbara Blake, I'm a registered nurse, I'm the State Secretary for United Nurses Associations of California. We are an affiliate of AFSME. UNAC represents 18,000 health care professionals, and we're part of the 170,000 Californians represented by AFSME in California. AFSME was one of the main players in the negotiations and stayed at the table the entire time, because we felt we had an opportunity to cover and improve health care for at least 40 million Californians, and we could not walk away from the table without coming to some resolution to make sure that we were able to expand coverage to those people that currently have no access to insurance. We will stay vigilant in this process to make sure that all of those Californians maintain accessibility to quality and affordable health care insurance.

And this is the first step in a process towards really pursuing universal health care for all Californians. We want to thank the Governor and the Speaker's staff for their leadership on this, for their commitment to stay at the table, and we are proud to stand here in support with the Governor and the Speaker today on this bill. Thank you. (Applause)

And I'd like to introduce Helen Han, who is the CEO of National Association of Women Business Owners of Los Angeles. (Applause)

HELEN HAN: Good morning. Yesterday I had the rare privilege to witness the historic passing of the health care reform bill at the State Capitol. For me, this event epitomized the power of the vision and the extraordinary leadership of Governor Schwarzenegger, Speaker Núñez, and Senator Don Perata, and all the Legislators in California. Thanks to their determination and courage we have taken a giant step toward comprehensive health care reform for the State of California.

California ranks No. 1 in women business owners in terms of its numbers. There are an estimated 1.4 million women-owned businesses, accounting for almost half of privately owned businesses in this state. Women-owned businesses in California generate more than 297 billion dollars in sales, and they employ 1.8 million employees. As the fastest growing segment of the market, women entrepreneurs care deeply about health care reform. We are vested in the well-being of our employees and their families. We are deeply concerned about our broken health care system, and understand that we must be at the table to be a part of the solution. NAWBO-LA believes that health care reform must protect small businesses and California jobs, increase access and affordability, and reduce costs by covering everyone and ensuring shared responsibility.

Yesterday's historic passing began the road toward a health care reform that promises a brighter future for all Californians. And women business owners not only own our own businesses; we understand that we own our future, and today we're at the crossroad of making a difference in the lives of many, and to building a legacy for the future of California. We urge everyone, all of us, stakeholders of California, to rise to this challenge and raise the bar, as stewards of a future above and beyond ourselves. Let's take advantage of this unique opportunity to show the rest of the nation what California is made of, and that we can work toward a solution that benefits everyone.

Thank you so very much, and I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce Diana Dooley, who is the CEO of the Children's Hospital Association. (Applause)

DIANA DOOLEY: Thank you. And like the others, yesterday and today, we are deeply grateful to the Speaker, the Governor, and Pro-Tem Don Perata. Children's Hospitals treat the most seriously ill and injured children in California, and they will always be there for those children who need that care. But there are many children who are treated in Children's Hospitals now that would be better served with a medical home, with a primary care physician that met their needs earlier in their illness or injury, and prevented the necessity of their having the kind of expensive care when their illnesses are left untreated. We're very, very encouraged by the progress that has been made. Children's Hospitals have some of the highest percentages of government-sponsored children that are served. Two of the hospitals in California have over 70 percent Medi-Cal. The Governor talks about a hidden tax and a cost shift; there's nowhere to shift that much care for the children of California. We need this health care reform, and we need it now, and we are deeply grateful and sincerely honored to be among the many supporters that this leadership team has amassed together.

I would like to introduce to you Howard Kahn, the President and CEO of LA Care Health Plan. (Applause)

HOWARD KHAN: My name is Howard Kahn, and I am the CEO of LA Care Health Plan, and I am a co-convener of the Children's Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles, and I'm here today representing the Children's Health Initiatives from throughout California. There are 24 counties in California, and tens of thousands of children that have coverage today because of the Children's Health Initiatives.

I want to congratulate the Governor, the Speaker, and their staffs, for a job well done so far. Now we must get to yes. We must get to yes for the kids today, we must get to yes for the kids who are insured, for the kids who are not insured, and for their working families, and yes for tomorrow's workers, the kids of today. It's incredibly important to all of us. Up the street from here I run a health plan, and we have 30,000 school-age kids who are insured today who have never been insured before under the Healthy Kids Program. In just a few months, if we don't have passage of this important legislation, these kids, these children, will lose their coverage.

So I think that we have to say yes for the kids of California, for our future. This important first step that the Governor and the Speaker and the Assembly have made is incredibly important to all of us. I'm proud to be a part of this incredible movement here in California.

And now I would like to introduce Miguel Daniel from SCIU and the In Home Support Services Program. (Applause)

MIGUEL DANIEL: Hello. My name is Miguel Daniel, and I'm a SCIU member and a home care worker from Los Angeles County. I applaud the Assembly for passing such critical health care reform legislation on Monday, bringing insurance to so many working people who otherwise cannot afford it. It is morally the right thing to do. We have long said that health care is not a privilege but a right, and yesterday our elected officials made it reality. Making basic necessities such as check-ups and prescription drugs accessible is vital to keeping all Californians, young and old, healthy and safe.

Thank you. I would like to introduce Suzanne Philips. (Applause)

SUZANNE PHILIPS: Good morning. Suzanne Philips with the California Association for Nurse Practitioners. Governor and Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the California Association for Nurse Practitioners I stand here to thank you for your leadership. Nurse practitioners are excited to be here today to celebrate the progress towards reform that expands access to the highest quality health care, regardless of geographic, ethnic, or socioeconomic standing. This is an important step for nurse practitioners and their patients. Every day in communities throughout the Golden State we're on the front line, providing care to all Californians, especially those in the most underserved communities. We see the effects of our broken health care system every day, from the uninsured day laborers to the children facing obesity-related health issues.

Nurse practitioners will play the biggest role in transforming public policy reforms into positive patient outcomes. California's health care debate has centered on how to best provide preventive and basic health care services for California's diverse populations. The vast majority of the services in question fall within the purview and expertise of nurse practitioners working with physician partners.

California commends the Governor and the Speaker for providing that bipartisan cooperation that can result in landmark health care reform. We're hopeful that the spirit of bipartisan cooperation continues with all groups involved so that these important health care reforms can be enacted. Nurse practitioners proudly stand ready to collaborate with policy makers, physicians, and all health care providers to ensure passage of this historic health care reform proposal.

I'd now like to introduce Ruben Guerra, President of the Latin Business Association. Thank you. (Applause)

RUBEN GUERRA: Good morning. I'd like to start by saying this is a wow for me, because the Latin community has long awaited this day. Not just the Latin community, but the Latin business community. And I'd like to thank Governor Schwarzenegger and Mr. Núñez for really having the ganas and the guts to come together and get it done.

Today all I have to say is, to the Senate, now it's your turn to get it done. And if you get it done, the people will get it done. The Governor said it's taken many years to get to where we're at today. Well, today we have one of the biggest Latino populations, and we will bring out the vote and we will pass this bill if you bring it to the people. And I'd just like to close by saying I wouldn't be the Co-Chair of the Water Coalition if I didn't say now we need to come together and pass a comprehensive water bill. Thank you. (Applause)

Now I'd like to introduce Mr. Danny Curtin. (Applause)

DANNY CURTIN: Thank you very much. I'm the Director of the California Conference of Carpenters. It's always a pleasure being introduced by Chambers of Commerce, whether they're Latino or San Diego or Los Angeles. It's a unique approach to politics that I want to speak to you about just for a moment.

You look at the group that's up here; it's only a small part of an extraordinary coalition that has put together this package. I don't want to de-emphasize the role that the Speaker and the Governor played in the negotiations; it was a phenomenal negotiations effort. But the groups that were involved in this were multi-faceted, and normally wouldn't even speak to each other in the hallway.

What I think about when I see that kind of success -- you know, we're in a time where this country is really split down the middle. You can't have a political news analysis on the national level without reading red state, blue state, whether it's a red state position or a blue state position, divided right down the middle. What the Governor and the Speaker showed here is that this is a great state, not a red state or a blue state, but really the Golden State, a great state. The leadership and the vision -- and I say that without hesitation, I've been involved in the political process for 30 years -- there's no other like it in the country.

What this bill will do -- and I'm not going to talk about the technicalities, because I'd be fibbing, I don't have a clue about a lot of them -- but it does some very important things. The economic fear that people have about health care -- and you know, you have a lot of health care practitioners here. I hate going to the doctor's. I like being in the hospital now, but not if I'm ill. The anxiety associated with health care in enormous, but the anxiety associated with the economic fear of what health care costs can do is also enormous. You have poor people who have to make decisions about food or medicine, old people, they have to make decisions about their kids playing sports, because they can't afford health care. They can't even get to health care. Middle class people make decisions every day -- we have so many bills, should we let our insurance lapse? Small businesses, you've heard about. This bill is an amazing step forward in terms of just people living their lives without that economic insecurity of health care.

It's also something -- you know, I believe it's the most important bill I've seen in 50 years, and I'm not quite that old, but damn close. This team -- and I want to say something about this leadership team here that you have running the State of California, the Governor, the Speaker, the President Pro-Tem. They brought you the world's most significant advance in global warming legislation. From my perspective as a carpenter, 42 billion dollars worth of infrastructure investment, brought by this team. Now, leading the way in the country -- well, certainly in the country, on a universal health care program that provides universality and shared responsibility. That is leadership.

I think back -- and as I mentioned last night, some of you may have heard -- I thought when this bill passed of a quote that I remember when the first astronaut landed on the moon: "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind." Now, that came from a vision articulated by President Kennedy, that we would put a man on the moon within 10 years. Governor Schwarzenegger -- excuse me, I've said it enough times. Stand up comedian behind me here. He articulated a vision on health care, and with the help of the Speaker and the Pro-Tem, we're about to make that a reality.

And I want to say one more thing. As you may have been able to tell, I'm from New York, I came to California in 1971. I couldn't believe what Christmas in L.A. was like, I just couldn't get into the spirit. But with the passage of this bill, this is the biggest Christmas present that anybody could ask for in the State of California, and it couldn't come at a better time, and I'm really very proud to be here to celebrate it with them.

Now, having said all that, I want to bring back the Governor, and you can have at him. But I'm sure his optimism will be as strong on you as it has been on the rest of us in putting this package together. Thank you once again to all of you, and Governor, thank you. (Applause)

GOVERNOR: Thank you very much, Danny. And I just want to point out that you have been there from Day 1. Not everybody was on board right from the beginning, may I remind you. It took a lot of effort. There were so many people that were on opposite sides, and then we slowly, with the Speaker's help and with Senator Perata's help, and with Danny Curtin's help, and a lot of people's behind me help, slowly we came together and we came together, and we found that sweet spot. So I want to thank you very much, Danny, for all of your help.

And I also want to thank Herb Schultz, who is over here, that he has been kind of the brainchild behind it, who is a genius in health care, and has had an endless amount of years and decades of experience, who was a great help to help us guide us through. So thank you also very much, Herbie, for being here today and for your great, great help.

So if there are any questions about any of that?

Q: Governor, where's the rest of your Republican Party on this issue? You didn't get one vote.

GOVERNOR: Well, we were very happy that we passed it yesterday in the Assembly, and there will be many, many Republicans that will be interested in this great reform. As you know, that the only way -- you can see 70 percent in the poll numbers, 70 percent of the people wanting to have health care reform, shows you that there is a huge majority of Republican voters out there that are interested in health care reform, and we are going to serve the people of California, this is what this is about. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent; this will help everybody. Health care reform is very badly needed.

Q: Governor, have you agreed to support Proposition 93, the extension of the Assembly Speaker's term in office, in exchange for his support for this measure?

GOVERNOR: We have never really negotiated to do an exchange program here. I think that Speaker Núñez and I both were very eager to get health care reform. And we have been working for a year now on that, because we saw a great opportunity because of the skyrocketing costs of health care, and because of the closing of emergency, rooms, and the hospitals getting stuck with unpaid bills, and people don't have access, and all of those problems. You know, people are using emergency rooms even though they don't have an emergency, because they don't have insurance, and all of those problems. There are an endless amount of problems. That's why Democrats and Republicans are interested in getting this problem solved and getting it done. Then sometime in the near future I will be coming out about some of the propositions, including Proposition 93, and I will be talking about that.

Q: Senator Perata is not here. He's expressed concern over the fact the state is 15 billion dollars in the red, and this is not the time for adding tax burdens to the State of California.

GOVERNOR: This is why I think this is the most perfect time to do health care reform, because as you know, we pump 4 billion dollars into Medi-Cal. That will be very much needed, and that will help the budget. This health care reform will help the budget. Now, the only thing is, it will not help this year's budget, because this is going to kick in, in 2010, but down the line it will help the budget. And also, you have to separate the two, because budget problems come and go. We have seen it in the history in California. It goes up and it goes down, it goes up and it goes down. But what we are doing here with health care reform, this is permanent. We are going to serve 6 million people in California; an additional 6 million people will get health care insurance. That is the important thing, to get coverage. They will get health care. They can go anytime to the doctor, anytime use the emergency room, anytime get treatment for their children. Everyone will be covered, that's what this is about. So this will have a long lasting effect, and this is exactly what we want to accomplish.

Q: For Assembly Speaker Núñez --

GOVERNOR: Please.

Q: There's been some suggestion that many of the individuals, or the groups that spoke here, for example, some of the organized labor, will benefit from this bill and have contributed to your Yes on Prop 93 campaign. The suggestion has been made there's a quid pro quo, and that's been used for fundraising efforts.

SPEAKER NÚÑEZ: Let me just say this much. Unless you disagree that California has a failing health care system, and that this health care reform bill -- which is historic in nature and substantively represents the most progressive health care reform proposal that is real and doable in the last 90 years -- unless you think that none of that is true, then obviously you can read into it other things. But the fact of the matter is that I'm very proud of the support that we have, not only from labor, but also from business, from people who really have a stake in health care reform.

But the most important special interest group that we're talking about here helping is the people of California. That's who ultimately is going to benefit from this health care agenda. And I'm very proud that what we've put together truly is an effort that stands on its own, that the rest of the nation is going to look to for leadership, that I think is going to put once again California on the national map for truly providing real leadership for the rest of the country. You know, I talked to Senator Clinton a couple of weeks ago, who is one of the presidential candidates on the Democratic side, said to me, "If you get this done in California, I can assure you that it will spread like wildfire throughout the country." I believe that that's true. So that's the significant thing about this. Whether somebody else or a business group, or a union, or someone else, decides to support Prop 93, that's a separate matter altogether.

I do want to acknowledge -- because you did mention unions -- that there is a union leader here that just arrived with us, and I want to acknowledge him and I want to talk just for a second about him, because I think it speaks to your question. And that's the leader of one of the largest private sector unions in Los Angeles, that's Mike Garcia from SCIU. He represents the janitors and the security workers that work in the buildings. A lot of the workers that he represents, a lot of the security workers that he represents, see this as an opportunity for them to work hard and to finally be able to come home with the peace of mind that they have health insurance. So I think that that's actually a pretty good thing.
And the fact that Governor Schwarzenschnitzel decided to work with us on this -- and you know, he talked about his early supporters. I wasn't one of his early supporters, because he presented his vision for health care, I presented mine. But there was one thing that we both had in common, and that is that we both wanted to expand health care coverage to people who didn't have it, and we wanted to make sure that everybody did their fair share to make sure that we got the job done right. And those two visions came together, with the help of Senator Perata and others, and we were able to come up with this incredible compromise that I can guarantee you, around the country, is going to not only make noise, but is going to lend itself to sweeping changes to the way health care is delivered across this country, and we're very proud of this final product. (Applause)

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