Schwarzenegger vetoes bill restricting insurers' ability to cancel policies of sick patients

[LeighAnn]

Source: Los Angeles Timese

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a measure that would have restricted the ability of insurance companies to cancel the policies of sick patients and signed into law a bill honoring Harvey Milk as he rushed to act on 704 bills before their midnight signing deadline Sunday.

The governor vetoed 229 of the bills, but did not carry through on his threat to reject hundreds more as punishment for legislative leaders' failure to reach a bipartisan deal on upgrading the state's water system. Schwarzenegger said sufficient progress had been made in the water talks to move the bills off his desk.

The health insurance bill, AB 2 by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate), addressed a practice known as rescission, a practice The Times has reported extensively about. It can involve insurance companies removing patients with serious, costly illnesses from their rolls retroactively.


Congressional investigators uncovered cases in which insurance officials were rewarded by their companies for finding excuses -- such as a form being filled out incompletely during enrollment -- to take policies away from some of the sickest patients.

Schwarzenegger said he supports protecting such patients but state regulators have implemented reforms that are doing so, significantly decreasing the number of rescissions since 2005.

"The market has changed -- and it is because of my Administration’s strong action in this area," he wrote in his veto message. He also criticized provisions of the bill that he said benefited "trial lawyers rather than consumers."

Other bills he rejected included bids to force any extension of the 710 Freeway to be done underground, ban pay hikes for top administrators at public universities in bad budget years and tighten oversight on fertility clinics.



Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/schwarzenegger-bill.html

[JerseygirlCT]

1. I never get that argument

I won't sign that bill because some new regulations will partway do what the bill would.

And the problem with making sure it's all done?

[yurbud]

8. it's not an argument, it's an excuse

[ThomCat]

12. His argument is a shallow excuse.

He knows damned well that there are no real protections out there. The supposed protections he is talking about still have huge loopholes in them. A lot of people are still vulnerable. He is a republican, and he is beholden to the Insurance Industry, so he is protecting them, not California citizens, but he can't come out and say that so he has to come up with some kind of excuse.

[depakid]

2. That will end up being one of the biggest blavkmarks on his "legacy"

[thunder rising]

4. CA needs to quit electing movie stars and start electing the best people for the job

[atreides1]

9. That Would be Great

Only one problem, it seems that not enough Califonians have two brain cells to rub together, much less recognize a qualified candidate for the office of Governor.

We're talking about the state that gave the job to Reagan, Wilson , and the Terminator!!!

[diane in sf]

10. The state is so huge that it should be split up, either north-south (which won't

happen because the south wants our water), or coast (blue) and valley (red). The huge factor means you can't elect someone who can't afford to buy lots of TV ad time. So we don't get Howard Dean who can go talk to everyone in every little town in Vermont, we get Ahnold who can get lots of money from scumbag utility companies and other corporate bribes.

[Yehonala]

15. Celebrity Addiction

This addiction to celebrity is killing this country. We judge people not on their ability, but on their looks, speechmaking skills, and sadly sex appeal and celebrity endorsements.

[JuniperLea]

3. Schwarzenegger makes me sick...

And I see he is intent on keeping a lot of people sick.

That's what happens when a cartoon character is put in charge... I'm sick of this stupidity.

[Quantess]

5. He knows CA won't elect him again.

So he figures he's got nothing to lose except lobbyists' money.

[shanti]

13. they lobbyists' money?

how about OUR money? now is the time to be afraid, very afraid of what he can do. he has nothing to lose at this point and another year to go!

[kestrel91316]

6. RECALL RECALL RECALL RECALL RECALL RECALL RECALL

Schwarzenegger is an ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE.

[GreenTea]

7. Fuck Schwarzenegger is a slimy fucking corporate republican, what would one expect?

[FiveGoodMen]

11. Bet they're really happy they went to all the trouble of replacing Davis with this joker!

[Yehonala]

14. I must be strange but...

Isn't the point of insurance to pay for the sick? Isn't that why we buy it in the first place?

[Cass]

16. What a lame excuse.

I seem to recall more than a few articles about rescissions in California recently so whatever reforms he is tallking about are not doing the job.

[No Elephants]

17. Lame duck POS. Who knew something could be worse than his ham acting?

[timtom]

18. Bought and Paid For

A made man. A soulless man. A flabby, disgusting man.

[KamaAina]

19. A health care "girly man"!!

:P