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UID:Indybay-18544014
SEQUENCE:18580191
CREATED:20081010T211700Z
DESCRIPTION:    A forum with public officials, co-sponsored by Peninsula Interfaith 
 Action, San Mateo County Central Labor Council, San Mateo County ACORN, and 
 Legal Aid Society of San Mateo. Come back a difference! Shine a spotlight 
 on access to quality, affordable health care for the uninsured. Join the 
 effort to make this real.\n\n    Special Guests: Jerry Hill, San Mateo 
 County Board of Supervisors\n\n    As well as other elected officials and 
 representatives from the Health Plan of San Mateo.\n\n    Thursday October 
 16, 2008\n    7:00-8:30pm\n    United Church of Christ\n    1336 Arroyo 
 Avenue, San Carlos, CA\n\n    Childcare will be available.\n\n    For more 
 information, contact Rebecca Perez\n    650 644-6443\n\n\nCounty goal: 
 Providing low-income\n\nhealth care\n\nSetting up task force a step closer 
 to that goal\n\nBy Liz Harrelson\n\nA push to provide low-income adults 
 with county-sponsored health care began Thursday\nwith the formation of a 
 countywide task force set on developing a comprehensive\nmedical 
 program.\n\nAbout 85 people representing most groups with a stake in 
 helping the estimated 60,000\nto 80,000 uninsured San Mateo County 
 residents - including health care industry\nexperts, elected officials and 
 nonprofit leaders - turned out to participate in a blue-ribbon\ntask force 
 aimed at expanding adult health care coverage by studying fiscal, social 
 and\nmedical issues to develop a comprehensive medical plan.\n\n"The 
 federal government has failed us and the state government has failed us in 
 regards\nto health care, so that's why we're doing it locally," said Jerry 
 Hill, president of the San\nMateo County Board of Supervisors.\n\nThe task 
 force will develop a health care plan for adults in the county who earn 
 less than\n$66,400 for a family of three, said Beverley Thames, spokeswoman 
 for the San Mateo\nCounty Health Department.\n\nThe cost of providing 
 medical care for uninsured and indigent patients in San Mateo\nCounty was 
 $68 million for the 2005-06 fiscal year and is expected to rise, said 
 San\nMateo Medical Center spokesman Dave Hook.\n\nRepresentatives from the 
 business community - which will likely benefit from the task\nforce's 
 efforts - were absent Thursday, which Hill called "disappointing."\n"We 
 have to be talking with the business community to engage them in this 
 process;\nthere's a tremendous benefit to them in the long run," Hill said. 
 "We may create a\nproduct that they could use, a less expensive model than 
 is available today."\nCounty estimates indicate that about 14 percent of 
 residents are uninsured. Part of this\npopulation is served by the county's 
 WELL program, which stands for Wellness,\nEducation, Linkage, Low cost. It 
 provides medical coverage for an estimated 7,050\npatients who don't 
 qualify for Medicare or other insurance programs, Hook 
 said.\nRecommendations from the task force could expand or redesign the 
 WELL program.\n"This effort to reduce or perhaps even eliminate the notion 
 of an 'uninsured adult' on the\nPeninsula is another example of a 
 countywide collaborative willingness to meet a\nchallenge head-on and 
 tackle it together for the benefit of all," said San Mateo 
 County\nSupervisor Adrienne Tissier.\n\nThe task force will present a final 
 program to the Board of Supervisors by July 2007.\n\nE-mail Liz Harrelson 
 at lharrelson [at] 
 dailynewsgroup.com\nhttp://www.sanmateolaborcouncil.org\n\n\n\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/10/10/18544014.php
SUMMARY:"What's Your Fair Share for Health Care?"
LOCATION:United Church of Christ\n1336 Arroyo Avenue, San Carlos, CA\n\nChildcare 
 will be available.\n
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/10/10/18544014.php
DTSTART:20081017T020000Z
DTEND:20081017T033000Z
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