Health advocate of the year…

Our focus this year has centered around getting the Medi-Cal expansion done as fully and urgently as possible, as exemplified in AB1x1 by Speaker John A. Perez, and companion legislation in the Senate.

As much as there is a strong and deep coalition in support of passing the bills as they are, the most poignant advocacy may be from the Speaker’s office directly.

The following is an amazing and moving anecdote from the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert, written up by Melody Gutierrez:

Greg Campbell is raising standards for dedication to his job as chief of staff to Speaker John A. Peréz after using a get-well call from Gov. Jerry Brown as a way to pitch his boss’s Medi-Cal expansion bill.

Campbell, 39, is recovering from two surgeries over the weekend to remove a golf-ball sized tumor in his brain, which was discovered last week. Campbell had been feeling sluggish prior to seeking medical attention, according to Peréz spokesman Steve Maviglio…

After a five-hour surgery on Friday, Campbell told nurses he needed to finish a PowerPoint presentation for the Caucus. He went on to have an 8 1/2 hour additional surgery on Saturday, where doctors were able to successfully remove the entire tumor.

During a call on Sunday from Brown, the governor asked Campbell if there was anything he can do. Campbell told Brown he could sign Peréz’s bill that would expand Medi-Cal coverage to more than 1 million low-income California residents.

According to Maviglio, Campbell told the governor: “I’m doing great because I have health insurance. I hope more people can get the health care I did if they need it.”
 Campbell is scheduled to return home as early as Thursday. We wish Greg Campbell a speedy and successful recovery from the surgery, and thank him for his advocacy, to put in context what the Medi-Cal expansion will mean for over one million Californians.


Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/speakers-top-aide-pitches-medi-cal-bill-from-his-hospital-bed.html#storylink=cpy
Health Access California promotes quality, affordable health care for all Californians.