Kuehl universal health bill makes return appearance.

A health care bill introduced in 2002 by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, which she tabled last fall despite passage in the Assembly, is back in committee once again.

Senate Bill 921, known as The Healthcare for All Californians Act, would provide health insurance coverage to all Californians through a single mandatory insurance plan administered by the state.

Kuehl tabled the bill after many questions were raised about its viability and how it would be funded, considering the state's current budget crisis.

The plan would make every California resident eligible to receive health benefits under a system governed by a state-elected commissioner of health who would lead a new department called the State Health Agency.

The benefits would also cover the insured out of state, but for a period of only 90 days.

The plan would be financed by taxes levied on employers' revenues and on employees' wages, which, according to Kuehl would require no new spending and likely be less than what employers now pay in premiums to managed health care providers.

Other components of the bill include the possible elimination of Workers Compensation Insurance because the mandatory health care program would not distinguish between care required as a result of workplace injuries and other forms of health services.

SB 921 was largely overshadowed last year by the passage of SB 2, which went into effect in January. That measure calls for all employers to either provide health care coverage for their employees or pay into a state pool.

A coalition of businesses owners across the state, alongside the California Chamber of Commerce, managed to convince an appellate court judge to overturn a previous ruling blocking Californians from voting on a referendum against SB 2.

Although the bill is in effect now, it will be some time before it's fully implemented. A vote on a referendum against the measure will take place in November.

Meanwhile, opposition to Kuehl's bill is also already mounting, again. The California Association of Health Underwriters has launched a full-scale campaign against the measure that, if passed, would literally put its some 23,000 members out of business.

Access to Care

Kaiser Permanente unveiled a redesigned Web site Jan. 26 that aims to provide its members with extended tools for getting up-to-date information on physician-approved health care information, as well as health care news for employers, brokers, the media and job seekers.

In addition, the new Web site also features the results of a recently conducted study by Kaiser that shows a majority of Americans would use the Internet for assistance in finding health care resources in the event they were unemployed or uninsured.

Of the 1,000 people interviewed for the survey, Kaiser says 62 percent would use the new site or others like it.

Kaiser's new site now offers free access to more than 40,000 pages of physician-approved health-related information, include interactive assessment tools called "Health Calculators," a drug encyclopedia and an enhanced "members" section that allows Kaiser patients to set appointments, obtain prescription refills and communicate with medical professionals.

Sylmar Clinic Reopens

Sylmar Medical Center held a grand opening ceremony Jan. 29 for its new 15,000-square-foot clinic, opened in December, which serves primarily patients on Medi-Cal and Medicare. The new clinic is roughly three times the size of the original, built in 1958.

The clinic also provides health care to hundreds of patients with cerebral palsy, as well as health care services for those in nursing homes and patients suffering from psychiatric disorders.

It offers more than 14 different specialties such as eye surgery, dental and hearing treatments, as well as free transportation to patients in the Sylmar, San Fernando and Pacoima communities.

Wound Center Opens

Lancaster Community Hospital has opened a wound care center, the first such treatment facility in Antelope Valley.

"The wound care center down below was burdened by the number of patients from the Antelope Valley," said Mike Comer, the hospital's wound care consultant referring to the closest facility in Sherman Oaks. "And it was a burden for the patients themselves."

A large portion of patients seen at wound care centers are diabetics because the disease affects the body's ability to heal.

Other common conditions that send patients to a wound care center include traumatic injuries and surgical incisions.

Soothing Sounds

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center has added a new music therapy program at its neonatal intensive care unit intended to help sooth premature babies and their anxious parents.

Harpist Patti Hood spends an hour each Thursday providing music for premature babies and other infants in the hospital's NICU unit. According to hospital officials, studies have shown that music can help lower premature babies' oxygen requirements, which reduces rapid breathing and induces weight gain.

Staff Reporter Jacqueline Fox can be reached at [phone] or at [e-mail].