Health Care: Quality Health Coverage for Every Family in California

Universal health care in our country is long overdue – this is why Kriss fully supports Senator Kuehl's single-payer universal health care plan. As your Assemblymember, he will fight to get this legislation into law – but more importantly, to be a progressive leader who will rally colleagues to provide an actual funding source for such an important proposal. To Kriss, it is critically important that SB 840 doesn't end up as just a ceremonial measure – he'll stand up to the insurance companies. On the City Council, Kriss helped expand access of health care to children in Berkeley. With his progressive leadership and proven results, you can count on Kriss to make universal health care real.

Kriss's Priorities

Commitment to Single-Payer Universal Health Care: While the Assembly's most recent plan for health care reform stalled recently, the conversation about health care is too important to end. Since 1998, Kriss has worked with community leaders to support a single-payer system. Since then, he has advocated for legislation such as SB 840, including getting unanimous support from the Berkeley City Council. Until we elect a Governor who understands the benefits making access to quality health care a fundamental right, Kriss will work to make sure that those most affected are included in the policy discussion from the beginning. As a City Councilmember, Kriss worked with community health advocates and social service providers to prioritize their commitments in the City's budget.

Expanding Affordability: In California alone, over 7 million people have no access to affordable health care. Given the lack of universal health care, county hospitals provide the majority of inpatient and outpatient care for the uninsured. In this reality, they play the vital role of providing the necessary safety net for the state's most vulnerable citizens. Additionally, Californians are paying increasingly high prices for care and prescription drugs through state programs. Kriss will work to support the funding of county hospitals as well as bulk purchasing of prescription drugs to cut down on the long-term costs for both the state and consumers.

Restoring the Quality of Care: From social workers to in-home service providers to nurses and hospital staff, the declining support for health services has taken its toll on providers at the front line. Kriss supports legislation that makes certain that county and state workers are receiving adequate caseloads so that service providers are not stretched beyond their capacities. At a time when the state cannot afford to neglect the disadvantaged, Kriss will prioritize the funding of these life-critical services in the state's budget conversations.

Kriss's Track Record

• Expanded local health coverage for children, single mothers, and families.
• Sponsored the Stop Cancer Where It Starts Resolution, to spread awareness in Berkeley about how exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to cancer, particularly breast cancer, and providing businesses, industries, hospitals, clinics, nurseries, hardware stores, houseware stores, grocery stores, building owners and citizens with the guidance and tools necessary for minimizing public exposure to these dangerous toxins.
• Sponsored the Precautionary Principle Initiative, which commits the City of Berkeley to take potential environmental health impacts into consideration whenever making any purchases for City facilities and programs. Convened a panel of environmental, health care and community groups to help shepherd the initiative through City bureaucracy. This program now serves as a national model for other cities.
• Stood with nurses at Alta Bates hospital to demand improved working conditions and better patient care.
• Co-sponsored a resolution granting $200,000 to Options' Recovery Services, so the treatment center can continue operating at current service levels
• Co-Sponsored a resolution granting $8,000 in City funds to be used to do basic repairs/maintenance to the Needle Exchange Emergency Distribution's (NEED) step van in order to keep it functional.