No politician is perfect. Of that much I am painfully aware. But I like to think that Democrats will stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.  Well, I was proved wrong about that when Lou Correa and Ron Calderon blocked committee approval of SB 275, the ban on hospital dumping.  Eventually, it was passed by removing the two Senators, who apparently value and/or fear the AHA (the American Hospitals Association-a corporate lobby group) more than they care about the true toll this takes on real human beings.

You know hospital dumping as the practice featured in SiCKO.  Michael Moore talks about it in this video clip from his premiere for SiCKO at Skid Row.

So, SB 275 attempts to deal with this problem.  Under the bill, as passed by the Senate, the transportation of patients against their will was a crime, not just a finable offense, but a real misdemeanor.  Real people could get real convictions for this deplorable practice.  The prospect of criminal charges meant that this law would have teeth.  Well, the AHA decided that they totally didn’t dig on the idea of having their staff arrested for doing what the CEO demanded. So, the Assembly accepted a hostile amendment to neuter the law by removing criminal penalties until the third offense, as if the first two homeless people don’t matter.  Flip…

The author, proud progressive, and my personal-favorite senator, Gilbert Cedillo spoke against the hostile amendment.

” Our offices have been committed to a thoughtful process on this issue.  We do not want to do something that is not significant,” said Cedillo.

How many times must a corporation determine that it is worthwhile to dump somebody before they actually get caught by the authorities?  And now they think they need to freebies?  Is anybody else disgusted by this?

Unfortunately the hostile amendment was agreed to by the Democratic Assemblymen on the Assembly Health Cmte. Here’s the [vote record and full bill record. The votes went like this:

AYES
  ****

Dymally	Price	Berg	De La Torre
De Leon	Hancock	Hernandez	Jones
Lieber	Ma	Salas

  NOES
  ****

Nakanishi Emmerson Gaines Huff
Strickland

  ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING
  *********************************

Hayashi

I really don’t like calling some of these members out at all. Like Lori Hancock, a statewide leader on clean money, or Fiona Ma, a leader on high speed rail issues.  But just the facts, here.  This committee bent to the will of the AHA.  If any of these Assemblyman represent you, let them hear it. This bill needs to be stronger.

After all, what is more important than the sanctity of human dignity? The practice of hospitals dumping patients on Skid Row must stop, not eventually, but now.  And Senator Cedillo’s bill, without these very hostile amendments, is the best way to end this affront to human dignity.

(Events of the weekend… – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Think that SiCKO isn’t already changing healthcare politics in this country?

Just through the California Nurses Association & National Nurses Organizing Committee, 15,000 nurses from across the country have signed up to help organize on the opening night of SiCKO, as part of the “Scrubs for Sicko” campaign to drive one million nurses to see the film.  .  More are signing up every day.  Even more caregivers and patients have mobilized through Healthcare Now, Physicians for a National Health Program, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and an unprecedented coalition of activist nurse groups from around the country.  Real energy on behalf of guaranteeing healthcare on the single-payer model.

We’ll take a look, below, at what it all means.  But first, we need you to  Go here, download some flyers, and hit your theater Friday night (warning: pdf).  Say hi if you see any nurses in their red “Scrubs for Sicko” scrubs.

Cross-posted at GuaranteedHealthcare Blog.

*Update*  As of this morning, 17,000 nurses are volunteering at the SiCKO opening night, and pledging to help us reach our million nurse goal.

Here’s how SiCKO is changing our country:

1. The healthcare movement finally is a mass, on-the-ground movement  Not since the days of Act Up have we actually had a critical mass of healthcare activists on the ground, working for change.  Now we do: tens of thousands of activists talking to hundreds of thousands of people.  Powerful.

2. Caregivers finally have a voice.  For years, groups such as the American Medical Association purported to be the voice of caregivers.  Unfortunately, they have been all too willing to throw patient interests under the bus so they can line their own pockets.  Now with the rise of the nurses’ movement, allied with PNHP docs, we finally have healthcare providers taking their patient advocacy to the streets…and the statehouse.

3. The media finally has to cover the issue of guaranteeing healthcare—and force political leaders to do the same.  Take a look at some examples below here.

And now to the SiCKO/Guaranteed Healthcare Update

*The Nation notes the nurse uprising and, like us, wonders what happens after SiCKO.

(In the same issue, Liza Featherstone looks at the movement by nurses for guaranteeing healthcare on the single-payer model, despite those looking to compromise with the insurance industry.}

*Clarence Page at the Chicago Tribune lays out the new conventional wisdom: America’s got a terrific health care system, as long as you don’t get sick.  That much, at least, seems to be conceded even by lobbyists for the nation’s health insurance industry.

*Last night Bill O’Reilly was in the unenviable position of debating a kids’ cancer nurse.  The point is—when was the last time O’Reilly did a segment on whether we should move to guaranteed healthcare on the single-payer model?  (And ended up kind of having to agree…)

*Coverage like this Washington Post story reminds us about what’s really happening out there:

As for government-funded health insurance, it would be enlightening if those who so reflexively assert that the public has already rejected it would just ask—well—the public. In a May CNN poll, 64 percent said they thought the government should “provide a national health insurance program for all Americans, even if this would require higher taxes.”

*Health Insurance companies are running scared.

The natural next question is, what now?  How do we extend the impact of SiCKO?  At a minimum level, nurses will continue to put pressure on politicians to answer one question: are you with patients—or insurance companies?  At the same time, we are on the verge of announcing a strategy to pressure health insurance corporations themselves.

But what else? It’s a movement in development.  Your thoughts are needed.

(cross-posted from Working Californians)

A deal has been struck between the legislature, tribes and Arnold Schwarzenegger to move forward with the doubling of Indian gambling.  They have fixed the accounting issues, but failed to ensure that workers rights are protected.  The deal does require tribes to help the state ensure that employees do pay alimony and pay for workers comp insurance.  These changes are essentially side agreement, that only four out of five tribes have agreed to the accounting provisions.  They are on the fast track in the legislature and it all could be passed today.

The Compacts will not protect workers from being threatened or punished if they try and organize.  Check cards will not be allowed for union organizing.  Both of these were in the 2004 Compacts, but the governor failed to include them in this round and the Democrats declined to insist they be in their for passage.  Needless to say, UNITE-HERE is upset. LAT:

“It’s an unbelievable, outrageous betrayal,” said Jack Gribbon, the California political director of Unite Here, a union that organizes casino and hotel workers. He said it was “disappointing” that Nuñez, “who came out of the labor movement, would go for the big money and ignore the working poor.”

It sounds like the Democrats chose the path of least confrontation.  Nunez tried to blame Arnold for failing to talk with them before negotiated, but that is a fairly weak excuse.

Nuñez issued a statement too — castigating Schwarzenegger for failing to take lawmakers’ concerns into account when he negotiated the compacts.

“Before the governor moves forward on additional compacts,” Nuñez said, “I urge him to respect the role of the Legislature.”

[snip]

Schwarzenegger has refused to renegotiate the compacts on principle, as the law says that the deals are to be struck between the governor and tribes. Senate Democrats, who had borne labor’s wrath in passing them last year, did not want to go through the same fight again this year.

So they managed to change a few things, but declined to make the worker’s rights provisions a priority and then tried to dump it in Arnold’s lap.  But Arnold’s attitude is that he gets to do the negotiating and then the legislature’s role is to say yes or no.  Fantastic.

There is some question that the side agreements will hold up in court, but the legislature is projecting confidence in their legality.  The fate of the Morongo compact is somewhat in question, even though they are one of the main tribes participating in these compacts and agreeing to the new provisions.  They have pissed off the speaker with their TV ads and district mailers, attempting to pressure legislators into passing the compacts.  Plus, they were the tribe who dumped $450,000 into the special election this week in CA-37 to try (unsuccessfully) to elect Sen. Jenny Oropeza to Congress.

Some may look at me strangely for doing so, but after Sunday’s breakfast I joined the Alice B Club. After the event and some research, I concluded that it’s the best organized Democratic organization I have seen since moving to California. It also closely fits where I sit in the party. Someone suggested the City Club, but I decided no as they are the closest thing to the DLC around here. My only regret is that did not support Harvey Milk for Supervisor but that’s water under the bridge. Anyway, know of any other good clubs?