“Your mom fell.” “Sam’s been hit.”
Those are the two worst phone calls I have received this year.
The first call came from a total stranger – a neighbor of my 85-year old amazing mom. While walking her dog on a Sunday morning, she tripped, fell, and broke her hip. Great treatment from Kaiser Permanente, major surgery, three weeks in a rehabilitation center and two months of physical therapy, and mom is on the road to recovery.
The second call came from our friend Jessica Garcia-Kohl on New Year’s Day, when our friend Sam Liccardo collided on his bike with an SUV. While the driver of the SUV was “at-fault,” and cited, we all know that two wheels always lose against four wheels, regardless of fault.
What did these two awful calls have in common? First, they both involved people whom I hold dear. Second – fortunately – they will both fully recover. Third – equally fortunate – both my mom and Mayor Liccardo have affordable health care coverage. It is this third item on which I will expand.
Switching from the personal to the professional, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s 330 Member Companies will continue to focus our health care efforts on affordable, accessible health care for everyone. It’s why the Leadership Group applauds Governor Newsom’s budget summary, with his strong focus on Medi-Cal expansion and funding, to further ensure affordable health care for all Californians. We also support his strong emphasis on chronic conditions and people with severe mental health conditions.
While access and affordability is vital – both for individuals and the majority of employers who provide health care coverage for their employees – we must also focus on innovation to improve outcomes and potentially lower costs. Health Care is more than one-sixth (18 percent) of our Country’s GDP, with financial impacts on every citizen and every sector of our society.
And, as I learned from these two harrowing phone calls earlier this year, health care coverage directly impacts each of us – our family, our friends, and our loved ones.
Leading our efforts on healthcare is a passionate professional, Kathleen Wortham. “Kat” joined our team during college as a student intern, and we were smart enough to hire her upon graduation. Raised in Stockton, she brings a perspective that holistically looks at what is best for all of California – Urban, Suburban or Rural. To learn more about our healthcare efforts, please reach out directly to Kathleen at kwortham@svlg.org.
– Carl Guardino, CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group | March 18, 2019
