SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights:

What:

At a press conference, a Massachusetts teacher who cannot afford mandatory insurance in that state will discuss his plight and why Californians should not be required to suffer the same fate under pending legislation by Governor Schwarzenegger and Speaker Fabian Nunez. Consumer advocates will also release a new poll commissioned by the Campaign For Consumer Rights that shows Californians overwhelmingly opposed mandatory health insurance while voicing large support for regulating health insurance premiums. The most popular proposal is giving all Californians access to the same health coverage available to Sacramento politicians.

  When: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 10:30 am

  Where: State Capitol, Sacramento, CA - Capitol Rotunda, 1st Floor

  Who:

Ron Norton, adjunct professor of radiology at Massachusetts community college who is classified as an "independent contractor" and does not have insurance from his state employer. He makes about $40,000 a year, too much to qualify for an exemption from the state's requirement that individuals buy private insurance policies. But he can't afford the high combined premiums and deductibles of the policies that state is calling "affordable." He will discuss the unaffordability of such private insurance, in Massachusetts or under the proposed California health insurance legislation, for middle-class workers.

Jerry Flanagan and Carmen Balber of the Campaign for Consumer Rights are releasing a statewide poll of likely voters showing that nearly two thirds of California voters are opposed to legislation, backed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, that requires Californians to show proof of private health insurance.

Voters surveyed voiced overwhelming support for measures that require greater accountability for health insurers, such as limiting the amount patients must pay out of pocket when sick and requiring insurers to get approval from state regulators for rate increases. These provisions are not included in the Nunez/Schwarzenegger legislation scheduled to be voted on by the California Senate Health Committee on January 23, 2008.

The Campaign for Consumer Rights is the advocacy and campaign affiliate of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR).

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