Health Care

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger whooped it up at his inauguration Friday with some of his biggest GOP donors, but if the reaction to his health-care proposal Monday is an indication, he'll face a much tougher Republican audience today at his State of the State address. Some of Schwarzenegger's financial supporters in Newport Beach said they're generally supportive of the governor despite his recent shift to the left. But Newport Beach Republican Assemblyman Chuck DeVore predicted rebellion among legislators — possibly even a lawsuit to block the health-care proposal Schwarzenegger unveiled Monday.

My sister almost died in 2002 from a sudden brain aneurysm while attending a church meeting. Fortunately she had good insurance, was given excellent care and has made a full recovery. Now the nightmare for her and for all who love her and those who depend on her is that she struggles to find health-care insurance in the event of a recurrence — affordable coverage without directed exclusions and impossible deductibles. Liability insurance is mandatory if you drive a car, and your rates go way up if you are reckless and harm an innocent victim.

There is no denying California?s prison system is expensive. Like other programs, the prison system received one of Gov. Schwarzenegger?s proverbial haircuts earlier this summer. He agreed, along with the majority Democrats in the legislature, to cut the spending on prisons by $1.2 billion, but no one spelled out how that haircut was to be given. Predictably, the soft-on-crime majority in the legislature has opted to use the state?s fiscal crisis as an excuse to dumb down California?

The House of Representatives adjourned this week, and the Senate will adjourn next week on Aug. 8. Not a day too soon. When all is said and done, this Congress will have spent more money than any other Congress in its history by a factor of two times. Luckily for us the clock is running out and they will not be able to vote on any health-care-reform legislation until they get back from recess. My thinking is that before we change the whole health-care system in this country completely, it is probably a good idea that everyone involved — including the American public — take a deep breath, relax and understand what Rep. Henry Waxman and Speaker Nancy Pelosi want to do with your health care.

I came away from the March for Healthcare in Fashion Island last Monday with the powerful impressions that there is a steadily growing progressive voice in Newport-Mesa and that democracy here is alive and kicking. It’s noisy and frequently chaotic, but it’s also determined to be heard. And it was heard Monday, everywhere, it seems, but in the office of our Congressional representative, John Campbell, who sat this one out. In the two hours I surfed the crowd, I heard dozens of different convictions, heatedly held, among the several hundred marchers, but on one point they all seemed to agree.

When I saw your review of Hooters in the Thursday paper, I was sure it was a joke. I thought the mission of a local paper such as the Daily Pilot was to highlight what makes our community unique — in what way is a review of a national chain with numerous other outlets in Southern California even remotely newsworthy? What can we expect next, reviews of every Starbucks and McDonald's outlet in Newport/Mesa? There are plenty of excellent, locally owned restaurants in our area worthy of our attention and support.

As I am writing this column, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments about whether the federal government has the power under the commerce clause of the Constitution to order private parties to buy health insurance. Being a Libertarian, I'd argue the answer is no. But because this is such a large topic of conversation, I want to give you some of the arguments that the Supreme Court will be considering, so you can more easily follow along. The genesis of this argument goes back to the 1942 case of Wickard v. Filburn.

I don't usually comment on online articles or websites. Partly, it's because of the company that would put me in. Not that I think every online commenter is crazy. On the contrary, I'm sure there are several who could pass a mental competency test. But I don't like the idea of having my knee-jerk reactions recorded for posterity. Who knows? There may be a day when I decide that I was wrong all along about Donald Trump's hair or the artistic merits of "Two and a Half Men. " So when I'm tempted to add my voice to a chorus of online comments, I usually just keep my virtual trap shut.

President Obama was greeted with cheers of "Four more years!" as he entered Jeff and Nancy Stack's beige-colored stone home situated on a small hill overlooking the ocean. Many of the 170 supporters, seated at tables under a white tent in the backyard took photos as the president arrived about 10 a.m. Thursday. "We're proving that Orange County is Obama country," Janet Keller said as she introduced Obama, comparing his visit to Corona del Mar to a trip President Franklin Roosevelt took through the town 74 years ago after another well-known fiscal crisis.

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution commits this nation to promoting the general welfare. In faith language, we would call that the "common good. " The federal budget should reflect a commitment to the common good by ensuring that the basic needs of all members of society are met. At this time when nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, 37 million live in poverty, one in five children lives in a household experiencing food insecurity, and unemployment remains at historically high levels, additional cuts to critical human needs programs cannot be justified.

Hoag Hospital has named three health care and business professionals to its board of directors. Karen Linden of Newport Beach, Leslie Margolin of Altadena, and George Wood of Laguna Beach were appointed to three-year terms at the hospital's corporate members annual meeting. "We are fortunate to have these three very experienced individuals join our board of directors and look forward to their contributions to Hoag," Dr. Richard Afable, hospital president, said in a prepared statement.

COSTA MESA - Though she drew a fraction of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's crowd in Newport Beach last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann's supporters showed no signs of losing faith at the Orange County Fairgrounds on Friday. About 150 to 200 supporters came to hear the Minnesota Republican stump for the GOP nomination for president. "We are ready to take our country back in 2012!" Bachmann cried. The "tea party" favorite immediately went on the offensive against President Obama, and the government's $535-million contract with the now-defunct energy company Solyndra.

This is a story about one woman's passion. Sandy Segerstrom Daniels , created The Festival of Children Foundation some 10 years ago. On Sept. 1 in Costa Mesa, the festival celebrated a milestone anniversary. Segerstrom Daniels cares about the raising of children. Not just children of privilege, but all children. She often speaks publicly about the importance of providing proper nourishment, health care, educational enrichment programs - especially music, art and cultural opportunities that have been scaled back in public schools because of budget restraints.

A federal judge sentenced a Corona del Mar doctor to 18 months in prison for submitting bills for drugs that cancer patients never received, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Dr. Glen R. Justice, 66, was sentenced Monday at the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. He pleaded guilty to five counts of health-care fraud in May 2010. Justice ran the Pacific Coast Hematology/Oncology Medical Group in Fountain Valley, according to a news release. He was convicted of billing insurance providers, including Medicare, for injectable drugs that patients never received and for more expensive drugs than were actually administered.

Health-care benefits for City Council members have become controversial, one of the few issues that has united both the right and the left (although for different reasons). There are multiple levels of the controversy. The most basic question is whether the council members should receive any health benefits at all. Many citizens believe that health care is a personal responsibility and don't believe the government should be involved in providing health care, whether it is the national "ObamaCare" or local city council health benefits.

COSTA MESA — The city's health-care costs for its retired employees could increase by more than $1 million in the next 20 years, according to data discussed at Tuesday night's budget study session. In the second of several public City Council question-and-answer budget discussions, city officials focused on how much Costa Mesa pays for the medical, dental and vision plans for its retirees, and how much those plans will cost for future city retirees. Costa Mesa expects to pay about $1.6 million next year to cover the costs, and that number will continue to rise as employees under the city's old retirement health-care plan before 2004 stop working.