Brown Signs Bills Causing Major Changes in Health Care
While many people consider Sunday to be a day of rest and relaxation, Gov. Jerry Brown spent the day working through 142 bills before his midnight deadline, including three that will enact major changes in the health care sector.
Senate Bill 746 will raise the legal age from 15 to 17 for teens who use tanning beds, making California the first state to increase the age limit. Previously, kids under 18 could use tanning beds with parental consent.
The second bill, AB499, will allow preteens, beginning at age 12, to be vaccinated for human papillomavirus (HPV) without their parents' consent.
Lastly, SB946 will expand health care insurance to include autism and other developmental disorders.
For those who worry about the health risks of tanning, which include skin damage, premature aging and cancer, according to the Food and Drug Administration, SB746 comes as a relief. Others say that the government has no right to override parental consent, a major protestor being the Indoor Tanning Association, which will lose 5-10% of its customers, according to its website.
Public authorities say the vaccination bill will help prevent the dessimation of sexually transmitted diseases. Others say the governor is disrespecting the parents' right to raise their children and make important choices while their kids are still young.
"How in the world can a 12- or 13-year-old girl provide informed consent when she's not told the risks and limitations of the drug, and she lacks the brain development and necessary wisdom to make this serious decision? She can't even drive a car or vote or get married, but she can consent to this? Jerry Brown has declared war on California parents," said Randy Thomsson, President of SaveCalifornia.com, in a statement.
The health care autism bill also evoked mixed feelings. Health care premiums could increase considerably to cover autism, according to critics. Despite these concerns, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steingburg still praised the health care bill.
"This is a victory for the thousands of California families who have had to pay out-of-pocket costs for autism treatment considered medically necessary,” said Steinberg in statement on the Autism Votes website.
"Our work is not done. As soon as our economy improves I will work to ensure every child, every young adult, and every family in California has affordable access to this therapy.”
Despite Brown's slew of health care bill signatures, he did choose to veto a bill that would have required doctors to issue more warnings to the 40 percent of women over 40 who have dense breast tissue to a level that could conceal cancer on mammograms.
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