Nathalie Hrizi, a San Francisco school teacher and community activist is running for California state Insurance Commissioner, the office in charge of setting rates and regulating the huge insurance business. Nathalie’s top priority would be to make sure that everyone has access to health care regardless of their ability to pay.
Quality health care should be a right, not a commodity to make the insurance companies and other healthcare corporations even richer. Instead of health care for all, we are being offered healthcare for some in order to assure the huge profits of the insurance, pharmaceutical, medical equipment and hospital corporations.
The insurance market is a $123 billion business in California alone. Those billions are being left in the control of the owners of insurance companies, which are nothing but parasites that exist solely to profit.
The insurance companies provide zero health services. They’re happy to take our monthly premiums but spend enormous amounts of time and money to avoiding paying for services when we need care.
The California Department of Insurance prides itself on being the largest consumer protection agency in the state. But it’s not doing enough. We need a people’s insurance department that prioritizes the needs, health and well-being of the people of California—not the profits of insurance companies.
As a first step, our campaign calls for a single-payer healthcare system that removes the insurance companies altogether.
A state single payer system would guarantee health care for all people, with the state government paying all medical bills. It would be like Medicare for all. Contrary to right-wing propaganda, Medicare is far more efficient than private insurers.
No one should be denied access to healthcare—or any other form of insurance—because they are immigrants. No truly universal health care would exclude the people who do some of the hardest work for the lowest wages, few benefits and little job security because they were born on the other side of a border.
The Hrizi campaign also demands an immediate moratorium on all insurance rate and premium hikes. All mandated insurance, like car insurance, should be offered to people through the state government at much lower rates.
• Health Care is a Right!
• Abolish the Insurance Companies!
