by Suzanne Potter
Left-wing groups are speaking out against the idea of a constitutional convention, warning it could be used to impose conservative policies on things such as civil rights, guns, voting rights and abortion.
Right-wing groups such as the Federalist Society have said they want to require a balanced budget and limit the power to tax, moves critics say would lead to huge cuts in Medicare, Social Security, education, Medicaid, and environmental protection.
Nancy MacLean, professor of history and public policy at Duke University, noted Article Five of the Constitution requires consent from just 34 states to call for a convention.
“The organizers of the convention effort have made clear the votes taken would not be based on population but on one vote per state, so as to grossly underrepresent the majority of Americans,” MacLean pointed out.
It would give outsize influence to states with tiny populations such as Wyoming at the expense of huge states such as California. Over the years, many states have called for a constitutional convention on specific topics. Golden State lawmakers just called for one on gun control. Conservative groups argued the requests could be aggregated to reach the 34-state threshold and force a convention.
Russ Feingold, president of the American Constitution Society and a former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, just wrote a book, warning a convention is likely if Republicans win full control of Congress next year.
“They’re asserting that you can just mix and match these and that meets the constitutional requirements,” Feingold emphasized. “It’s not right. And the Supreme Court doesn’t appear to have the authority to step in and stop it.”
Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, said the risk of a runaway convention is too great, because there are very few rules in place.
“We would have no idea who’s seeking to influence the members of the constitutional Convention,” Stein pointed out. “What lobbying would be happening behind the scenes? Would there be public-records requirements? Would there be transparency requirements? We just have no idea.”
Health care open enrollment season is here
It’s open-enrollment season for most health-care plans – meaning within the next month and a half, you can make changes to your health plan.
Open enrollment starts today for more than 1.5 million public employees in California. Deb Reyman is the health benefits spokesperson for the California Public Employees Retirement System, or CalPERS.
“The most common mistake people make during open enrollment is they do nothing,” said Reyman. “They don’t look at any of the information. So for example, they might not know how their premium is going to change come January of 2024. And they see a change and it’s too late to change health plans.”
People with employer-sponsored health plans should check the plan’s website for important dates. The Medicare Open Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.
Open enrollment for people on the state’s marketplace for health plans – CoveredCA – runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, but you have to sign up by the end of December for coverage to start Jan. 1.
CoveredCA executive director Jessica Altman said premiums are rising quite a bit for 2024, but more than 90 percent of enrollees get a state subsidy to soften the blow – and many people in the standard Silver Plan will pay no deductible.
“The statewide average increase for Covered California for premiums is 9.6 percent, and that’s high,” said Altman. “There’s the impact of inflation. We’re also still seeing people using more health care coming out of the pandemic.”
Dr. Rhonda Randall – the chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare’s commercial operations – advised people to pay close attention to the coverage for specialty benefits such as dental, vision, hearing, critical illness, and mental health.
“You want to know what specifically you’re going to have access to,” said Randall. “How big is the network of therapists and psychiatrists, mental health professionals? Some employers offer navigation or advocacy services to help you find a good fit.”
UnitedHealthcare sponsors a website called Just Plain Clear that explains the difference between terms like monthly premium, co-pay, co-insurance, and deductibles. They also have a page to help people understand the various Medicare plans.
