Cross-Country Trip Proves Futile

Ron Norton traveled from Worcester to Sacramento to speak at the
California Capitol about the perils of requiring people to purchase
health insurance, only to be thrown out of the building by the
California Highway Patrol.

Norton, according to the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer
Rights, wanted to talk about the difficulty he faces in meeting the new
Massachusetts requirement for health care coverage. As an adjunct
professor of radiology at Quinsigamond Community College, Norton makes
about $40,000 a year; he earns too much money to qualify for a
state-subsidized plan. He works two part-time jobs at the college,
which doesn’t pay for his insurance. He now expects to have to pay
nearly $3,000 a year for coverage.

Norton wanted to speak at a hearing, but that was canceled.
Consumer advocates tried to hold a press conference with him in the
Capitol, but House Speaker Fabian Nunez ordered the California Highway
Patrol officers to give Norton and his crew the boot.