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From BlueCross of California
Dear Valued Member:
I am writing to bring to your attention an important issue facing Californians today - healthcare coverage. with more than 6.6 million Californians lacking health insurance, coverage for all has become a top priority for the governor and legislative leaders.
Blue Cross of California supports efforts to find affordable coverage for all Californians. As our lawmakers develop proposals to reform our healthcare system, we must be careful that do not increase your costs or disrupt your coverage while trying to make things better for those who don't have healthcare coverage. Simple said, we support responsible reform done right.
One of the ideas now being debated by California lawmakers is placing a rule on insurers that is known as "guarantee issue." Other states, like New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, have tried reforms like guaranteed issue. They now have the highest premiums in the country and more uninsured while California has some of the lowest. Rather than "guarantee issue," Blue Cross supports a policy of "guaranteed access." Through a combination of private insurance and a state high risk pool, "guaranteed access" would ensure that all individuals, including those with pre-existing conditions, will always be able to get the type of coverage they need at a price they can afford.
We believe all Californians should have affordable access to healthcare, even if they have a pre-existing condition. We should also expand coverage for children and provide premium assistance to low income families so that everyone can afford coverage.
As the important healthcare debate continues in California, we have partnered with the Coalition for Responsible Healthcare Reform t oact as a voice for responsible reform in California. We encourage you to join this coalition in order to stay involved in the healthcare debate and t opush our lawmakers for responsible reform for Californians.
To join the Coalition for Responsible Healthcare Reform, simply visit the Coalition website at responsiblereform dot org and click the "Join Now" button. There is no cost and your involvement is completely voluntary. By joining this organization, you will receive regular updates our progress and alerts that will suggest ways that you can partipate and take action on these important issues, including contacting your local elected officials with letters and emails.
We can not rush when it comes to finding ways to provide affordable and accessible healthcare for all legal residents of California. That's why we encourage you to join the debate on health care by signing up for the Coalition of Responsible Health Care Reform and speaking up your concerns for health care reforms done in the right way. When it comes to health care reform, we must fix what is broken, not break what is working for millions of Californians.
Sincerely,
Brian A. Sassi
President
Blue Cross of California