Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/855478
58 CINEMONTAGE / Q3 2017 LABOR MAT TERS bill entirely since the current legislative session is the first year of a two-year session. The bill could be revived next year, adds Melanie Mason in The Los Angeles Times. "With President Trump's promise to abandon the Affordable Care Act as we know it, it leaves millions without access to care and Californians are once again tasked to lead," said Senator Ricardo Lara. "Senate Bill 562 will finally enable California to cover all of its residents, creating a healthier and stronger state." Many Democrats who supported SB 562 said they wanted to keep the idea alive. Some described it as a starting point and expressed confidence that Senators Lara and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) would continue to work on the bill and figure out a way to pay for it, among other changes, adds Luna. The California Nurses Association commissioned researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to estimate what it would cost to pay for the plan. The researchers at UMass estimated the plan would cost $331 billion, a sharp decrease from the $400 billion price tag published in a Senate analysis released in May. Is California's single-payer proposal economically viable? According to research conducted by Robert Pollin and his colleagues at UMass, the answer is yes. Significantly, their figure also represents an 18 percent decrease from current health-care spending in the state. A single-payer plan is generally believed to deliver more health care by spending less on for-profit marketing and administration. Single-payer is also referred to as Medicare for All. It would eliminate lifetime limits, pre-existing conditions and private insurers' interference in decisions about your medical care. Ultimately, it would leverage the purchasing power of 325 million Americans to buy health-care services and pharmaceuticals at lower prices. The nurses add that the Legislature can consider $225 billion in existing federal and state funding used for health coverage for low-income Californians, as well as other tax subsidies, to help pay the rather hefty health-care tab. The study suggests lawmakers may also create two new taxes in the state: a 2.3 percent gross tax on business revenue above $2 million and a 2.3 percent general sales tax on everything except housing, utilities, groceries and other necessities, adds Luna. Further, if the bill is ultimately fleshed out and approved, it would still have to go to Governor Jerry Brown, who has been skeptical, and then voters would have to exempt it from spending limits and budget formulas in the state constitution, writes Patrick McGreevy in The Los Angeles Times. Further, the state would have to get federal approval to repurpose existing funds for Medicare and Medicaid. HOLLYWOOD'S MOM PROBLEM Of the 125 people appearing in The Hollywood Reporter's 2016 list of powerful players in the industry, 105 were men and only 20 were women, writes Mathilde Dratwa in The Los Angeles Times. What is often overlooked is a further disparity: The list includes 70 dads, but only 11 moms. Even though the United States is one of only two countries in the world that does not guarantee paid maternity leave, some companies, especially in the Silicon Valley, offer mothers or fathers a substantial amount of paid time off when a child is either born or adopted. Netflix's policy, for instance, allows new parents to take up to a year off with pay. The major Hollywood studios could follow suit. Significantly, because production work falls mainly to freelancers, parental leave is only a partial answer for women in the industry. It would improve conditions for full-time studio employees, but that won't help the number of female directors. Directors, especially women, often find it hard to get second features "green-lighted," a struggle that can often correspond with the stage in their lives when it makes the most sense to start a family. Parent- friendly practices would help women in this situation to sustain their careers. f Actresses Halle Berry, left, and Jennifer Garner testifying before the California Assembly Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would limit the ability of paparazzi to photograph children of celebrities and public figures. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli/ Associated Press