The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee launched a new statewide campaign featuring the voice of Sen. Barack Obama commenting on proposals to force individuals to buy insurance.
Individual mandate schemes lie at the heart of the healthcare deal crafted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez—and endorsed by most California insurance corporations.
Radio spots will run in major media markets across California, coinciding with Senate hearings and a vote on the ABX1.1 bill. CNA/NNOC opposes the bill which would require all Californians to buy health insurance or face substantial penalties. As the ad puts it, “Don’t let the politicians force you to buy insurance you can’t afford and which won’t help you when you’re sick.”
The ad also quotes Sen. Obama noting “some folks who said that it’s not possible to provide universal healthcare coverage unless there’s a mandate. Their essential argument is the only way to get everybody covered is if the government forces you to buy health insurance. If you don’t buy it, then you’ll be penalized in some way….The reason people don’t have health insurance is because they can’t afford it.”
Under the Schwarzenegger-Nunez deal, ABX1.1, insurers would gain millions of new customers and hundreds of millions in additional profits while failing in its promise of solving the state’s healthcare crisis, says CNA/NNOC.
The ad also calls on Californians to join with nurses in working for genuine healthcare reform, such as SB 840, a bill that will be heard in the California Assembly later this year. The ad may also be heard at guaranteedhealthcare.org.
