What’s Plan B on healthcare?

Re “State health plan killed,” Jan. 29

Each day, thousands of Californians wake up sick or in pain and are not able to simply call their doctor. Many wait months to see specialists and then many more months for simple surgeries that would enable them to return to work and support their families. If they are lucky enough to eventually get the care they need, it may mean bankruptcy or years of financial instability as they attempt to pay off their hospital bills.

The California Senate Health Committee essentially agreed to keep this “system” in place when it voted down the healthcare reform bill created by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) and passed by the Assembly. But the Health Committee cannot simply reject the bill. It must now develop legislation that will create a healthcare system that provides care for all Californians.

Elizabeth

Benson Forer

Venice

The writer is chief executive officer of the Venice Family Clinic.

It’s good that the governor’s plan failed in the Legislature. We do not need to require everyone to buy health insurance, but we do need to stop enriching health insurance company chief executives and stockholders. Currently, these companies skim off roughly one-third of each healthcare dollar we pay on overhead, astronomical salaries for hundreds of second-tier executives and profits for stockholders. There is only one way we can cut the cost of health insurance and healthcare significantly: Eliminate the needless expense of private health insurance and all the waste involved, and institute single-payer health insurance for everyone.

Kaye Klem

Sun City

Californians simply cannot afford to wait another year for action to be taken. Rather than engage in unproductive finger-pointing about what went wrong, there is an immediate and urgent need for the state Senate, Assembly, governor and stakeholders to determine what can fix California’s broken healthcare system. There is little doubt that this is a complex issue without a “silver bullet” solution. After more than a year of intense negotiations and discussions, there is much agreement among business, labor, doctors, health providers, consumer advocates and policymakers on what steps can and should be taken. All sides agree that we ought to ensure that all kids have healthcare coverage. There is agreement that our hospital system should be stabilized by increasing reimbursements for medical care through public programs, and that hospitals be assessed a provider tax to help finance health system improvements. We still have the opportunity to give Californians a much-needed healthcare win.

Robert K. Ross MD

Los Angeles

The writer is president and chief executive of the California Endowment.