California Speaks
California Speaks was a statewide deliberative forum on health care reform that took place on August 11, 2007 in eight counties in California: Humboldt, Sacramento, Alameda (Oakland), Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego. Nearly 3,500 people representing all segments of the population were randomly recruited to participate in this day-long discussion of health care reform proposals that are before the California legislature. Background Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California proposed comprehensive health insurance reform for California on January 9, 2007 that would lead to nearly universal health insurance coverage in the state. The plan involved a complex set of requirements that employers provide health insurance or pay into a state insurance pool, that health care providers and insurers pay a new fee, and that all individuals be legally required to carry health insurance. The state would use the new fees to expand free or low-cost health insurance to those with low incomes, would allow higher income individuals to purchase “catastrophic” insurance, and would require insurance companies to sell insurance to any applicant (called guaranteed issue) By mid-year, two different Democratic proposals that overlapped the Governor’s proposal had merged into Assembly Bill 8 (AB8) and were seen as the most likely health insurance expansion bill to be passed and signed by California’s governor in 2007. Another bill with substantial support in the legislature proposed a single payer system, SB840. It was similar to a bill that had passed the legislature in a previous session and been vetoed by the Governor. Much of the organizational ideas and effort were provided by AmericaSpeaks, a group which promotes deliberation as a community method in a variety of communities, regions and topics. The forum California Speaks was designed as a non-partisan discussion about the major health insurance reforms in the state. Using neutral, accessible materials, a cross section of Californians learned about the different options and voted during the forum about what the state should do. The options focused on issues concerning AB8 and, to a lesser degree, SB840. The product of the discussions will be presented to the Governor and legislative leadership to inform state legislation that is currently being negotiated in Sacramento. The actual format of the discussions was that participants were divided into groups of 10–12 people, with a facilitator to make sure everyone got a chance to be heard. A discussion guide was provided which explained the background of the issues. Each table reported its ideas using wireless computers and participants voted on the proposals, using a polling keypad. The entire group responded to the strongest themes generated from table discussions and voted on final recommendations to decision makers. Also, various local sessions across the state were in contact via interactive television simultaneously. Results from the discussion were compiled into a report at the end of the meeting, and were given to participants, decision-makers and the media as the meeting concluded. As a participant in the San Diego group, I don't understand the exclusion of every group throughout