Opinion - Message from Democratic supermajority and health care foundations on reform: No. Relief. Coming.



By Keith McCallin, PA-C  |     

Dear Sacramentans and nearby Sacramento Neighbors:

On Friday, March 1, 2019, the Superintendent of the Sacramento City school system addressed the school systems insolvency coming in November and, in doing so, described what a take-over of our public school system will look like. The first, and only, words out of the superintendents mouth to explain it all:

                        Health care costs.

Also, on that Friday, there was a Senator Dr. Richard Pan-produced health care symposium at the Sacramento Capitol.  (See the agenda here: https://ph.ucla.edu/events/e-richard-brown-symposium-universal-health-care-california-planning-policy-political )

The clear message sent from our state legislators, who possess supermajority powers, to the Sacramento School district and the California citizenry:

                        No. relief. coming.

We Americans represent 4-percent of the worlds population and we pay 43-percent of the worlds health care costs. 

We northern Californians pay 30-percent more for health care than southern Californians.

The probability that everyone reading these words is underinsured and unaware of this medical trap is likely right at 100-percent. There is a reason GoFundMe for medical bills is a thing and a thing that has been made normal. It is what we are obliged to do to survive our health care system which has us dying slower, sicker and younger.

There are a myriad of forces spending vast sums of money to block health care reform and they are getting their money’s worthAll of us are easily able to identify the most powerful of these forces because they are the medical corporations whose billboards line our freeways.

But there are others who play their nefarious part who go unnoticed. One example is a group of organizations known as the health care foundations, where the California Endowment is but one organization in that group.

Please find the time to read the attached document (posted below) because what we do not know about health care foundations is substantial. And, because the price we pay for not fixing health care involves far more than the ridiculous price of insurance bills and medical bills.

PLEASE NOTE:  The attached letter is a communication sent from this California health care advocate to other health care advocates and organizations here in California and across the country.









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9 comments

Unknown said...

This article, Message from Democratic supermajority and health care foundations on reform: No. Relief. Coming.is shameful;, shocking and the reason why the citizenry of California have little trust in any large organization with a vested interest in profit driven health care. You would expect foundations to have a moral purpose....Guess again.These foundations are shams working to deprive the public of cost effective healthcare. Sandy Neumann

Unknown said...

Well stated the whole op-ed. If this isn't Whistle-Blowing at it's finest I don't know what is. It should be recognized that in fact the California Endowment and other healthcare foundations are THE social detriments to all Californian's health. They hide behind organizations they fund who disguise themselves as champions to the underserved. Organizations who are actually doing their political dirty work by pushing for incremental bills and propping up bought and paid for politicians. Thank you Whistle Blower for uncovering and revealing the Single Payer killers hiding behind the curtain of advocacy.

Lynn said...

Excellent article exposing the forces that are at work to undermine efforts to create a fair and affordable health care system.

Unknown said...

Imagine. A health care system modeled after systems existing in most of the advanced industrial countries of the world, patients health is primary in determining the structure of the system. Imagine systems that cost about half percapita of our profit oriented system cost and where outcomes are superior to ours whlle covering EVERYONE. Imagine the ridculous price Americans pay for health care being transformed into increased earnings and funds that can improve our infrastructure and societal needs.

This isn't a pipe dream. It's working and it's a proven model. The only thing exceptional about our health care system is it's inefficiency and inequity.

The fact that cynical foundations can cleim to forward health care through promotion of sideshows is a frightening comment on the state of political system. Wake up, my fellow citizens. This waste is criminal...

Al Saavedra said...

They know single payer is coming but they want to slow it down as much as possible so they can fill their bags with even more cash.

The Endowment leads the "incrementalists" ideologically with insurance profited money. And they control the Dem establishment.

Gavin Newsom is aware. He is on their side.

Unknown said...

Keith McCallen's analysis is right on. Many who oppose Medicare for All fear giving up their comfy employer provided health care. All employers will be cutting benefits if the greedy health industry keeps on.

Gary T. Graham said...

This article is excellent. It is yet another warning to us voters that nothing will change in our health care universe unless we all, as individuals, begin to call and write to our California Assemblymembers and our State Senators and say, as strongly as possible that we want the system changed to single payer. We know that the medical corporations and the health care foundations have huge amounts of money at their disposal, but what they don't have is millions of voters. As one voter I can call my assemblymember. You can do the same. You can also join with like-minded voters in organizations like Healthcare for All-California. Politicians respond to numbers of voters. Without them, they don't get re-elected, regardless of their campaign dollars.

Unknown said...

Thank you, Keith McCallin, for calling attention to the subtle and insidious ways that hidden actors manipulate public opinion to undermine support for Medicare for All/single payer. This builds critical awareness needed to sustain the fight for the radical overhaul needed to our healthcare system.
J. Shallenberger

Unknown said...

It is torturous to realize that entities we place our faith in have conspired to take advantage of that misplaced faith and instead have taken advantage of our trust and distracted us with shiny objects and insincere messaging. We're told that Medical for All/single payer is a socialist concept, and the expectation is that the majority of citizens should think that concept is wrong and anti-democracy. The fallacy is in thinking that our democratic form of government is working for all of us, fairly; it is not. When corporations (foundations) have more seats and greater influence at that proverbial table than we as tax-paying citizens do, then we must rise up and demand that the tables be turned, that the people we elect in our represented democracy work for us, our health and welfare, and that of our neighbors, too. This article presents an opportunity to take a shot at holding elected officials accountable, with intended consequences, beginning now.

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