Peter Harbage

Senate committee kills health care reform plan (San Jose Mercury News)

"California had a major opportunity," said Peter Harbage, an independent health care consultant affiliated with the New America Foundation think tank. "This would have been one of the biggest reform efforts in the nation in a very long time, really since the Clinton effort" in the mid-1990s.

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has released his budget threatened by $14 billion of red ink, many are asking whether California can afford the ambitious health care reforms that passed the state Assembly in December. Given the social and economic costs of leaving as many as 6.5 million Californians uninsured, the better question may be: Can we afford not to? Those worried by the possible impact of the budget gap on health reform include Senate President Pro Tem Don… more

On January 15, 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle featured an opinion piece authored by Leif Wellington Haase and Peter Harbage of the New America Foundation. The article, titled “Why the state’s the budget gap shouldn’t derail health reform,” presented several statistics on the importance of health reform. This background and analysis document offers the underlying support for the statistics used in their argument.

Len Nichols, Director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, made the following statement today after the California Assembly voted to approve health care legislation that would cover all Californians. New America has provided policy and communications advice to Governor Schwarzenegger, his staff, and to Democratic leaders throughout the reform debate. Many of New America’s core health reform principles, including an individual mandate, are included in the proposal:

“Today is an exciting day for Californians,… more

In January, Governor Schwarzenegger made national headlines by proposing universal health insurance in California and there was talk of creating a national model. After months of wrangling in Sacramento, he offered a legislative proposal yesterday. It would still require that every Californian buy health insurance. It would change the formulas for employer participation. The big news has to do with the state lottery. ... $37 billion could be raised by it and some of the money could be allocated to… more

President Bush's veto of a bill that would have allowed California to achieve near-universal health care for children comes at a critical juncture in the state.Employer-based coverage is decreasing, enrollment in the state's Healthy Families program is increasing and efforts by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrats to overhaul the health care system have not yielded a solution a month into a special legislative session.Moreover, new Bush administration rules would make it harder for California to enroll… more

The New America Foundation today released "Coverage Without Gaps: Implementing Seamless Health Insurance Coverage," a policy report on its model of seamless health insurance that would create a health insurance system where, once coverage is affordable and accessible, Californians would be required to purchase it. Seamless coverage would make universal health coverage a reality in California.

A requirement to purchase insurance is an active part of the ongoing health care reform debate in… more

In America’s fragmented health care system, too many individuals and families lack continuous access to health insurance. Overwhelming evidence shows that lacking health insurance leads to decreased access to quality care and reduces health status. The widely shared social and economic losses from these problems compound the cost of thousands of lives lost every year due to lack of health insurance and consequently access to care. In this context, health reform that ensures every individual and family seamless health insurance… more

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won an important ally Thursday in his effort to overhaul the state's healthcare system, as California's private hospital industry agreed to a $1.7 billion tax on itself.

The tax, which would require voter approval, would help cover the cost of providing health insurance for all Californians, which the governor said was his goal for the year.

The tax money, along with federal funds and a $600-million tax on public hospitals, would create a $4-billion pot… more

SACRAMENTO — There are 4.1 million New Yorkers who get healthcare coverage under Medicaid, the federal safety net for the poor. For each of them, Uncle Sam spends an average of $5,891 a year.

In California, there are 6.5 million low-income people who rely on the same program. For each of them, Uncle Sam spends just $3,419.

Who makes up the difference?

To a large degree, health policy experts say, it is Californians with private insurance: They… more