KHTS Hometown Station, February 25, 2010

This morning State Senator Tony Strickland proposed Senate Constitutional Amendment 29, which if passed will require voter approval of any state or federal measure implementing a healthcare program that:

• Requires individuals to obtain health coverage;
• Requires individuals to guarantee issuance of health coverage;
• Creates a "pay or play" system for employers;
• Creates a government entity to compete with private plans;
• Creates a single-payer healthcare system.

According to Strickland's office, the amendment would affect any healthcare program containing at least one of those provisions created after January 1, 2010.

"This measure will ensure voters have a voice in the healthcare debate rather than allowing out-of-touch politicians to make costly and ineffective decisions regarding something as personal as the choice of a family doctor," said Senator Strickland, whose district includes portions of Santa Clarita. "Polls have consistently shown voters want a healthcare system that addresses their concerns over cost, access, and quality. This does not mean they are asking for another government bureaucracy."

Strickland was joined in the unveiling by Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and John Graham, Director of Healthcare Studies at the Pacific Research Institute.