Media Coverage: 'Three-share' Health Care Program:
Under the "Three Share Model'' plan, the county would make its health and hospital network -- and its 300 attending physicians -- available to low wage workers of small businesses that currently do not offer health coverage. Participating employers and employees, in return, would pay monthly premiums.
"Plan aids uninsured, small business."
"Contra Costa assesses rising health care costs."
Opinion Piece
"Health Savings Accounts Hurt Workers, Families."
Media Coverage: Kids At Risk:
"Study sees decline in health coverage: Reduced job-based insurance may leave half of state's poorest children in publicly funded programs."
A decline in affordable job-based family insurance benefits is to blame, says the report by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and San Jose-based think tank Working Partnerships USA.
“Health premiums shifting: Fewer Children Covered By Employer Plans.”
Rapidly rising premiums are shifting the burden of health insurance for California's children from employers to taxpayers, according to a study released Thursday.
Times, 23 September 2005.Fewer than half of California's children will have health coverage through a parent's job by 2010 if current trends continue, according to a pair of studies released Thursday.Media Coverage: Falling Apart:
“Worker health benefits shrink: Employer-paid insurance coverage rates increasing.”
Barely half of working Californians will have job-based health insurance in 2010 if rates keep rising at current levels, according to a study released Wednesday by UC Berkeley researchers. Employer-paid coverage will drop to 53 percent of the state's working adult population in 2010 from 58 percent in 2004 if premiums continue to rise by 10 percent a year, researchers reported in the study, which was conducted by UC Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education and Working Partnerships USA.
“Study reports trend will swell ranks of uninsured.”
Rising health care costs are causing more companies to drop coverage for employees, a study has found.
Each 10 percent increase in premiums leads to roughly 1 million people nationwide losing their employer-provided insurance, according to the study released yesterday by researchers at the University of California Berkeley and Working Partnerships USA.
“More firms offering less in health care to work force Study: Fewer Workers Insured. As premiums climb and employers drop health coverage, 20% more Californians will be uninsured in five years, researchers predict.”Low- and middle-income adults in California will be most dramatically affected if current trends continue, concluded the study, conducted by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and the union-affiliated Working Partnerships USA, a San Jose-based nonprofit organization.
“Health care study sees more uninsured: Rising costs may put benefits out of reach for many by 2010.”
Hardest hit by rising health costs will be workers at the low and middle rungs of the wage ladder, predicted the study, released Thursday by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and the Working Partnerships USA, a union-supported nonprofit think tank in San Jose.
“Study predicts growing coverage gap.”
If premiums continue to increase by double digit rates, many people will lose their insurance, said the study from the UC Berkeley Labor Center and Working Partnerships USA, a collaboration between labor unions, religious groups, educators and other community-based organizations.
“Report warns fewer employers covering health. Study at Berkeley predicts rising cost will force more workers to rely on government aid.”
“Number of insured declining.”
Media Coverage on the Children's Health Initiative:
“Missing a chance to help children: Governor Changes His Tune, Vetoes Statewide Health Insurance Program.”
So much for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's self-styled image as guardian of California's children.
When he was running in 2003, Schwarzenegger said in a debate, ``I think it is important that we take care of our children. And we have to make sure that every child in California is insured. That is the most important thing.'
'Friday he had the chance to make it happen, and he whiffed. He vetoed Assemblywoman Wilma Chan's AB 772, which would have created the California Healthy Kids Insurance Program and given 800,000 uninsured children access to medical care.
“Silicon Valley County finds health coverage for almost all kids.”
“Prescription for healthy kids: AB 772”
“Healthy Kids Shines Brighter: Santa Clara County's Model Program For Needy Families Still Growing.”
But in the midst of that gloom, Santa Clara County's Healthy Kids insurance program stands as a beacon of hope for low- to moderate-income parents and their children.
“Health plan for children expands, Funding Increased; 1,000 More to Get Low-Cost Coverage.”
On Friday, the Santa Clara Family Health Plan will be insuring an additional 1,000 children now on a waiting list -- providing coverage for kids whose parents make too much to qualify for public assistance but too little to pay for health care themselves.
“State's push to insure children has its roots in Silicon Valley.”
“Reaping healthy rewards.”
Give the credit to Working Partnerships, the South Bay Labor Council's policy arm, and the community activists known as PACT for this vision. It was a struggle to get everybody on board in 2000, but what a reward.
“Mayor Gonzales finds $300,000 in compassion.”
“Success story for kids' health.”
“Kids' insurance program proves a healthy success.”
“City shouldn't give up on kids' health insurance.”
The plan was conceived by Bob Brownstein of Working Partnerships USA, a labor-affiliated research group. For $6 million, he says, all 37,000 uninsured children in San Jose could have medical coverage. Some will need private health plans, but for most, it's just a matter of getting them enrolled in existing programs like Healthy Families.
“If we don't do it, no-one will.”
Two creative local organizations -- Working Partnerships, a research institute, and People Acting in Community Together (PACT), a church-affiliated coalition -- have developed a plan to make sure that health insurance is available to 100 percent of our kids without imposing high costs on city government. No other single program can do as much to benefit our community's health.
Press Releases
Kids at Risk: Declining Job-Based Health Coverage for Working Families in California and the United Sates
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