Greetings,

We hope everyone is healthy, safe and hanging in there during these difficult times. The barrage of bad news about our ever declining health care system can leave us feeling depressed and hopeless. We invite you to read these news stories through the lens of the 7 Principles of CalCare and see how CalCare would improve our lives.

HC4US supports working people in established unions like National Nurses United and newer unions such as Trader Joe’s United. We look forward to telling union members and the public about CalCare on Labor Day.

We also want to share a virtual event about Employment Protections for People with Disabilities that Assemblymember Ash Kalra is hosting on August 28. 

Ongoing news about UnitedHealth Group highlights the many reasons why insurance companies don’t belong in health care.

Demand Congress Restore Union Rights Of VA Nurses

And Demand A Vote On The Protect America’s Workforce Act

Sign this petition to members of Congress and demand that they protect VA nurses’ right to advocate for patients with the guaranteed protections of a union. Demand that they sign the discharge petition and call for a vote on the Protect America’s Workforce Act as soon as they return from summer recess!

Tell Trader Joe’s Corporate – Health Insurance For All

Many of Trader Joe’s crew members don’t have access to affordable, quality health insurance through their employer. As the government safety net is slashed, it’s time for Trader Joe’s, a billion-dollar corporation to step up. Tell Trader Joe’s to immediately offer comprehensive, affordable health insurance to ALL of its employees.

Support Labor On September 1st In LA County

Once again HC4US will have a booth at the Harbor Labor Coalition Labor Day event on Monday, September 1st in Wilmington. This is a fun, busy venue with live music, speakers, free food and activities for children.

HC4US supports the struggles of union members and we want to share how CalCare, sponsored by the California Nurses Association labor union will improve health care for union members and all Californians. The support of labor unions is important to enacting CalCare.

Unions and their rank and file members are under attack! The Trump administration is undermining fundamental workers’ rights while filling the pockets of billionaires. An executive order stripped federal workers of their collective bargaining rights and DOGE slashed thousands of civil servant jobs. Trade tariffs have been drastically increased, causing a severe slowdown in port traffic. Job loss due to the use of AI (artificial intelligence) presents another challenge for working people. Most recently the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA unions faced this threat.

Health Care for US is committed to educating union members and the general public about CalCare. Drop by our booth, we would love to meet you in person!

Join Ash Kalra’s Virtual Town Hall

Employment Protections For People With Disabilities

This event will cover rights in the workplace, including protections against disability-related discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, from the hiring process to termination. The CA Civil Rights Department will also provide a detailed overview of reasonable accommodations– how and when to request them, what medical documentation may be required, and how the interactive process works.

For questions or accessibility requests, please reach out to Assemblymember Kalra’s district office at (408) 286-2535.

So you’re about to turn 26 and realize you will no longer be eligible for health insurance through your parent’s employer. But you don’t have a full-time job that offers benefits; you’re trying to make ends meet by working a variety of part-time jobs. If your earnings are too high to apply for Medi-Cal, insurance through the Covered CA marketplace (the Affordable Care Act or ACA) is available but it can be limited and expensive.

In this New York Times article, Elisabeth Rosenthal and Hannah Norman illustrate the stress young adults experience as well as the need for better regulation over the state marketplaces (Covered CA). Kristen Hwang from CalMatters explains the predicted increases in premiums starting January 2026. 

Covered CA has navigators to help enrollees shop and compare plans on the marketplace. 

If we had CalCare, A SINGLE PUBLIC PROGRAM, all Californians would be enrolled and young adults would not have the stress of finding and affording health insurance.

Black Americans will be severely affected by cuts to Medicaid (Medi-Cal in CA) in the terrible budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress and signed by Trump on July 4th. In a Capital B article, Brandon Tensley and Candace Y.A. Montague report that about 20% of Medicaid enrollees are Black, while Black Americans are just 14% of the U.S. population. Black Americans like Arlita Walker, a

grandmother and former Federal Express employee rely on Medicaid to pay for prescriptions. Without Medicaid, Arlita’s daily inhaler would cost $800 a month.

Cheyanne M. Daniels writes in Politico, Black women and children enrolled in Medicaid will disproportionately suffer, making disparate health outcomes among Black Americans even worse. Nearly 2 in 3 Black children are enrolled in Medicaid. The infant mortality rate for Black babies is more than two times higher than the rate for white babies. Also, Black people have the highest rate of infant mortality than any other race.

Recent cuts to Medicaid are symptomatic of the American medical system inadequately serving Black patients.

If we had CalCare, UNIVERSAL COVERAGE would mean that everybody, regardless of race, would get the care they need. 

Prior authorizations lead to delay and denial of care.  One of the best aspects of Traditional Medicare for seniors is that prior authorization is rarely needed. For example if you have foot pain; instead of seeing a primary physician, asking to see a podiatrist and then waiting for an authorization to see the podiatrist; you can go directly to the podiatrist. If x-rays and surgery are recommended to relieve the pain, you can move forward without waiting for authorizations.  

In June the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a trial of new prior authorizations in traditional Medicare in New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Washington. In Healthcare Dive, Rebecca Pifer reports House Democrats are asking CMS Administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz why CMS is trialing prior authorization in traditional Medicare and how it plans to do so. 

If we had CalCare, FULLY COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS would be available without the need for prior authorizations from insurance companies. 

Home health is one of the fastest-growing sectors in health care. On 8-7-2025, UnitedHealth Group (UHG) added Amedisys, the second-largest provider of home health and hospice services in the nation to its huge list of subsidiaries. Rebecca Pifer of Healthcare Dive reports that with this merger, UnitedHealth potentially becomes the largest corporation in home health and hospice services.

Circumstances of this acquisition have the appearance of a pay-to-play scheme between MAGA lobbyists for UHG who use their influence with president Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to overrule enforcers and push through mergers, writes David Dayen in The American Prospect.

The U.S. House Monopoly Busters Caucus Chairs, including Pramila Jayapal opposed this acquisition since it fails to protect competition. They predict higher costs and reduced care access to home health and hospice care.

Based on reporting by George Joseph in The Guardian last May, Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are investigating UnitedHealth over potentially harming nursing home residents by restricting care for the sake of profit, writes Rebecca Pifer of Healthcare Dive.  

With CalCare PATIENT CARE IS BASED ON  PATIENT NEED and the profit incentive is gone. 

ORGANIZE. AGITATE. EDUCATE. LEGISLATE.

THANK YOU!