l-grant/dt1st/mark2nd

Health Access Foundation

Your Jan. 19 Health Care Quarterly article,”People, Groups to Watch in the Managed Care Debate,” contained some factual inaccuracies regarding Health Access.

1) Health Access is a 10-year-old organization. It was not formed to sponsor Proposition 214, as you claim.

2) Health Access is a coalition of over 225 organizations across the state (nearly half from L.A.) which represent a wide variety of consumer, health care worker, senior, community, disability, physician, and disease groups. Health care workers comprise half a dozen of these groups. Health Access does not “represent” health workers’ unions as you claim.

3) Health Access has been the lead organization in a coalition of groups sponsoring the Patient Bill of Rights, a package of 21 consumer-oriented bills. The coalition, which includes AARP, Congress of Seniors, California Physician’s Alliance, Neighbor to Neighbor L.A., and the Older Women’s League, organized half a dozen rallies across the state and collected over 30,000 postcards and letters. Health Access’ interests are those of consumers, not preservation of the jobs of health care workers as you claim.

DAVID GRANT

Director, Patient Action Program

Editor’s note: In reporting the Jan. 19 story, the Business Journal contacted Health Access Foundation officials and the foundation’s Sacramento lobbyist for information on the group. Neither returned calls for comment.