Speaker 1: Nine Be consider sending a letter to the Alameda Health System in appropriate health insurance plans regarding the lack of contracts covering many Alameda residents and urging them to reach agreements and creating a committee to review the issue. Providing access to on island health care for me to residents and make recommendations on how to proceed.
Speaker 0: All right. So I brought this with Councilmember Odie and I brought this one because those of us with commercial health insurance have been unable to go to the Alameda Hospital other than for emergency care for over a year now. And the health system had a public meeting many months ago here where we had many residents express concern and there still has not been a contracts reached with the primary insurance companies. So the ask is that our council consider sending a letter to Alameda Health System and appropriate health insurance plans regarding the lack of contracts covering many Alameda residents and urging them to reach agreements. And then the second part is to create a committee to consider creating a committee to review the issue of providing access to on island health care for Alameda residents and make recommendations of how to proceed. Member. Odie, did you want to add something?
Speaker 2: Sure.
Speaker 6: Thank you, Mayor, for, you know, calling me and asking me to join on this. I as we are both members of the. It's really late. Am I? I'm losing my.
Speaker 2: Memory.
Speaker 6: The Health Liaison Committee. And, you know, if folks remember that that meeting was on June 28th and many of us were there. I think the mayor gave a very eloquent presentation about how as a patient, you know, she's having trouble as to go off island. And if the mayor's having trouble, I'm sure that thousands of others of us that have one of these private plans have the same issues. So, I mean, there is progress. I mean, after that meeting, there was a request from Alameda Health Systems of our Assembly Members Office to call the health plans and get them to the table . And that actually worked. I was assigned the task of making that call. So I'm glad that that that worked. But, you know, the mayor's point is correct. You know, we were promised in our last health liaison committee that we would have an answer or a resolution by April 1st. And if that, in fact, happens, that's 15 months that BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, United Health care consumers are without access to Alameda Hospital. And you know that that's just unacceptable. And so our our letter would be to, again, encourage both parties to just get the deal done because it's negatively impacting all of us who who use these insurance carriers.
Speaker 0: And you're on station members matter. Yeah.
Speaker 7: We're paying for this, too. You're paying for it. Property owners are paying for it. And we're promised that hospital service. So I'm full support at this. And so.
Speaker 0: That's the reference to the parcel tax of $300 a.
Speaker 2: Year for insurance and.
Speaker 7: Reinsurance.
Speaker 0: And sales tax. There's all kinds of taxes.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 0: Okay. So we have a motion and a second all those and I thank you. That one passed and.
Speaker 7: The subcommittee will be yourself and Councilmember Odie, I assume as our hospital lay some people.
Speaker 0: We currently are, but we we're actually I think thinking of a bigger committee to help with this.
Speaker 2: One.
Speaker 0: But it'll come back for us to.
Speaker 2: Hear from.
Speaker 7: Additional community members.
Speaker 0: To figure out what we're doing with this. Because I.
Speaker 2: Agree. And yeah.
Speaker 6: If they don't get it done and we're without health care, then we need to have.
Speaker 2: Our priority.
Speaker 7: With withhold the facts.
Speaker 0: And we need to figure out what we're doing. Yeah, so I appreciate that. Member Ashcraft.
Speaker 4: I was just going to say we probably you guys can discuss that and we should move on.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 4: So this idea, I mean.
Speaker 0: Nine C or did you want to say.
Speaker 10: Something? Well, so to clarify, this subcommittee is going to develop the letter or draft the letter. This isn't a priority that we have to rank with what we know.
Speaker 2: We're actually have a letter.
Speaker 0: We had a letter, attach very simple.
Speaker 6: Stationery and get us to sign. I mean, have us all sign it. I think it's the power of all five of us signing it. I mean, no.
Speaker 0: So we have a letter. The committee is separate than the letter. The letter we're getting out right away.
Speaker 10: And then the second part, creating a committee, and we'll bring back that discussion or counsel.
Speaker 3: Mm hmm.
Speaker 0: Now, if I think.
Speaker 4: The priorities that we set.
Speaker 3: Right after.
Speaker 6: April 1st, if there's a.
Speaker 7: If there's no response.
Speaker 3: Or.
Speaker 10: No, but monitor it until April 1st.
Speaker 0: All right. In nine C.
Speaker 1: Consider drafting staff to identify all accounts with Wells Fargo and investments in Wells Fargo Securities dropped a request for proposals for banking services for the city of Alameda and exclude Wells Fargo from the RFP process.
Consider: 1) Sending a Letter to Alameda Health System and Appropriate Health Insurance Plans regarding the Lack of Contracts Covering Many Alameda Residents and Urging Them to Reach Agreements; and 2) Creating a Committee to Review the Issue of Providing Access to on Island Heathcare for Alameda Residents and Make Recommendations of How to Proceed. (Mayor Spencer and Councilmember Oddie)