Health care: California leads the way

21 January 2011 |permalink | email article

IT has received little attention as Republicans and their Tea Party acolytes redouble their efforts to chip away at Obamacare. But determined leaders in California are involved in a completely different discussion.

As Politico reported they are focused on how they can most aggressively implement the new law and remain among the Obama administration’s model states on reform – sidestepping significant challenges that stand in their path.

California’s Health and Human Services secretary, Diana Dooley, had dinner last week with Joel Ario, the Obama administration’s lead on health exchanges, and discussed the state’s progress on implementing the new law. Ario complimented Dooley, telling her that the Obama administration saw California as a “pace car” on health reform.

Dooley saw it from a different perspective. “I told him we don’t want to be a “pace car” state she said in an interview just after a week in office. “We want to be the lead car.” Such confidence mirrors the Golden State’s attitude toward reform. First out of the gate on setting up a health benefit exchange suggests the state is eager to blaze a trail. Health policy experts regularly cite it as a state to watch.

California has the highest number of uninsured, just under 7 million, dwarfing the entire population of Massachusetts by half a million. The exceptional challenge faced by the state is held up the Obama administration as an example of health reform done right. Voters have proved very supportive of the new law, sending a strong slate of pro-health-reform, statewide officeholders to Sacramento in the 2010 elections.

Laughable

Republicans claim to have repealed Obamacare, but need to be reminded as Talking Points Memo notes, about that part of the Constitution where bills can’t become laws if the Senate doesn’t do anything. And the Senate hasn’t done anything. Sarah Palin aide Rebecca Mansour’s tweet: “Governor Palin’s hard work and sacrifice made today’s repeal possible. Please tell the Governor. Thank You.”

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