The Mayor, who in addition to running the City and County of San Francisco, also contributes to the Huffington Post. His latest article, a hard-hitting call to support President Obama's health care plan, is below:
Politicians and pundits on both sides of the aisle are trying to make national health care reform into a game. One senator even said that defeating health care reform is about "breaking" President Obama.
It is not about "breaking" our president. Reforming our national health care system is about fixing our economy by creating competition to lower health care costs and improve care.
Health care reform is about the estimated 47 million Americans that do not have health insurance. Nearly five million people have lost their insurance since September 2008. 14,000 more are losing coverage every day -- and the situation is only getting worse.
This is not a game. This is a crisis. And as the recession continues, it is a crisis with profound implications for every city and county in America.
Earlier this week, Governor Schwarzenegger balanced the California state budget on the backs of local governments, taking $4 billion from cities and counties, slashing $1.3 billion from the state's health care program for the poor and gutting millions more from the Healthy Families insurance program that provides coverage for children.
What is happening in California is not unique to our state. Mayors and city councils across the country are facing similar problems as state governments slash health coverage to balance their books.
Our emergency rooms will bear the brunt of these cuts, as patients will flood our hospitals when they can no longer see a doctor. Our residents will pay the price with higher taxes, more expensive premiums, hidden costs and increased fees. Our cities and towns will all have to pick up the tab.
This is a crisis. And our cities and towns are on the front lines.
That's why this afternoon I'm hosting a call with mayors from around the country asking them to introduce resolutions in their city councils to support the Administration's health care reform principles. Health care reform cannot wait.
In San Francisco, we decided to treat this crisis. Two years ago, we launched the country's first universal health care program, Healthy San Francisco. Today, almost 75% of previously uninsured residents are enrolled in our "public option" program. 44,249 people, at last count are now covered by our public plan.
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Mayor Gavin Newsom is running for Governor of California. If you would like to know more about Gavin's campaign, please go to: www.gavinnewsom.com
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