California Health Insurance Giant Aided by Health Insurance ReformAccording to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag, the historic health insurance reform provides the most deficit reduction of any bill in the past decade. It's estimated to reduce the deficit by more than $100 billion over the first decade, and by $1 trillion in the following decade.The health insurance reform bill includes help for major health insurance companies and doctor-owned hospitals. That includes help for the giant California-based insurance company Kaiser Permanente, according to congressional aides and lobbyists.The latest changes to the 153-page health insurance reform bill include a provision that tax-exempt insurers would have to pay a new fee levied on insurers on only half of their premiums. Kaiser Permanente is one of these tax-exempt insurers.California Health Insurance Reform and MedicareThe bill also extends an August 1st deadline on new doctor-owned hospita ls to apply to the government for eligibility to be paid for Medicare patients until the end of 2010.According to a 2003 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 40.2 million Americans were enrolled in Medicare. That was 14 percent of the U.S. population. California had the largest enrollment of any state with 4.1 million Medicare beneficiaries, or 11 percent of the state's population.California Representative Tackles Tobacco IndustryWhile the media focused on the health insurance reform debate, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed into law by President Obama on June 22, 2009.By all accounts, it is the strongest measure to protect children from the dangers of smoking to date. Why does this law focus on children? Almost 90 percent of all smokers began at or before their 18th birthday. We've known about this for decades, but the tobacco industry has used special-interest lobbying to manipulate Congress.Blatant refusal to accept responsibility for the sicknesses caused by cigarettes was exposed as recently as 1994 when Rep. Henry Waxman first brought tobacco CEOs before Congress. Waxman has represented the 30th congressional district of California in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1975, and has called cigarettes the single most dangerous consumer product ever sold.Before Congress, these CEOs still denied that tobacco was deadly, that nicotine was addictive, and that they marketed to children. In reality, tobacco companies aggressively target children, and sell products with flavorings to mask the taste of tobacco and make it more tempting.Healthcare Reform Has Potential to Help MillionsMore than 400,000 Americans die of tobacco-related illnesses each year, and more than 8 million of us suffer from at least one serious illness caused by smoking. While you've probably heard that second-hand smoke can kill, third-hand smoke that is trapped in carpet, fabric, furniture, hair, skin, and toys also exposes you to toxic chemicals like arsenic and lead. Babies take in 20 times more third-hand smoke than adults because they breathe faster, and spend more time near the floor.The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act is a victory for health care reform because it will reduce the billions of dollars we spend on tobacco-related health care costs in this country. It is intended to reduce the number of children who start smoking, and to save American lives and make us healthier. It also makes health insurance in California more affordable.This Act bans tobacco advertising within a thousand feet of playgrounds and schools. It also curbs the ability of tobacco companies to market products to children by using appealing flavors. It forces tobacco companies to more clearly and publicly acknowledge the deadly effects of their products, and allows FDA scientists to take other common-sense steps to reduce the dangers of smoking.
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