Leif Wellington Haase: All Related Content

Tarnish on the Golden State, a new report issued by the New America Foundation, exposes how medical debt can lead to ill health and financial insecurity for individuals and families. Tens of millions of American families struggle to pay health insurance premiums and medical bills. In 2010, 44 million working aged American adults had medical debt or medical bills they were paying off over time. In California, over two million people had medical debt prior to the recession and the problem has likely become worse since then.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), if implemented as passed, will improve the financial security of Californians, and in particular that of low and middle-income Californians. While reducing the strain of medical bills and health insurance costs on family budgets is a major aim of the legislation, it also offers tools to individuals and communities as they attempt to reduce the “upstream” cost of poor health.

The ACA bridges the health-wealth connection in four major ways:

... Still, California is farther along than most states in preventing this. “We had our immigration fight a decade and a half ago,” explains Leif Haase, a California-based senior fellow at the New America Foundation. “Social relations here are probably better than in any other state.” ...

Original article

Elections, especially off-year elections, are mainly referenda on the economy. This one was no exception, and the recent health reform legislation was viewed as part of the problem, a source of unnecessary federal spending. Ads opposing the Affordable Care Act, many fueled by new and unregulated campaign spending, topped those favoring it by a 5-1 margin. Having voted in favor of the legislation also hurt many Democrats among voters who feel the legislation did not go far enough. Among Republican voters, according to Gallup, repealing the Affordable Care Act is the number one priority.  

So does this mean that the legislation is fated to be “ripped up, root and branch,” as Indiana Congressman Mike Pence predicted on election night?

Probably not. The reasons go well beyond President Obama’s veto pen and the simple political reality that benefits, even those slated to roll out over time, are rarely withdrawn.

The main reason is that the legislation, despite being passed without bipartisan support, represents a genuinely bipartisan approach that tackles two major and intensifying social and economic problems: inadequate health insurance coverage and out-of-control health care costs.

Joe Mathews of NBC’s PropZero (and a New America Foundation Senior Fellow) wrote that “The Meg Whitman housekeeper story is the most interesting political story in California this week. It isn’t the most important.”

Instead, Joe tips Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent signing of two important pieces of legislation creating a health benefit exchange in California -- the first established in the US since the passage of the Affordable Care Act this past spring.

We agree. These bills are both symbolically and substantively important. As Schwarzenegger stressed in a ceremonial signing at the California Endowment headquarters in Los Angeles on Friday, the backing of a moderate Republican governor for the exchanges gives a leg up to the wider goal of implementation. Moreover, Schwarzenegger signed the bills in the face of spirited business opposition led by Anthem Blue Cross and the California Chamber of Commerce, which contended (wrongly, in our view) that the new exchanges would create an unaccountable new branch of government and gain undue authority over insurers.

That's the idea behind the town hall meeting, "Putting the Care in Obamacare," that's being held today (Monday) in Los Angeles, according to Leif Wellington Haase, director of the California program at New America Foundation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan group that's putting on the conference.

A report by the nonpartisan New America Foundation has offered a 10-point blueprint for reducing healthcare costs in California by $309 billion over the next decade.

The report, penned by the 35-member California Task Force for Affordable Care, noted that healthcare costs in California have more than doubled between 2000 and 2009. They are predicted to more than double over the next decade to nearly $500 billion, a trend that is not supportable.

The passage of federal healthcare reform is a landmark achievement. It extends insurance coverage to millions of Californians and sets the stage for transforming how medical care is delivered. This legislation is an important first step toward addressing ever-growing medical costs and making healthcare truly affordable.

Sacramento, CA - The New America Foundation's California Program issued the following statements today following the signing by President Barack Obama of a comprehensive and historic healthcare reform bill:

Leif Wellington Haase, Director of New America's California Program stated, "There is a great deal of heavy lifting ahead to make this work in the states.  One of the most challenging tasks will be building the new state-based insurance exchanges while preserving employer-based coverage." 

The New America Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of the first HAND Foundation Philanthropy Fellow, Dr. Lucy Bernholz. With the generous support of The HAND Foundation, based in Redwood City, Dr. Bernholz will analyze key trends in the philanthropy sector, with a focus on the reforms and regulations that will determine its future.

Sacramento Bee | Plan to Open Up CalPERS Reflects Worry About Inadequate Saving for Retirement

Investing for retirement is the financial equivalent of eating your vegetables: It's good for you, but sometimes downright distasteful.

Now a proposal making its way through the California Legislature has people talking about whether the state can make putting aside retirement money more palatable.