After meeting with the bill's author, state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Cohn climbed on the healthcare bandwagon.

Cohn's chief of staff Cris Forsyth said the assemblywoman was already leaning toward backing SB921 even before the meeting. "We're all a bit befuddled by the need to have a rally when the meeting was already scheduled," Forsyth added.

The news, however, didn't stop about 75 people—representing more than 20 grass-roots organizations—from holding a rally on June 16 to demonstrate their support for the legislation. But it did force them to modify their message.

Members of the Peninsula Raging Grannies, who were on hand to sing protest songs, had to rework their "Song for the Healthcare Rally."

"At the 11th hour last night, I changed the lyrics because they said lots of negative things about Cohn," said Raging Granny Ruth Robertson.

Prior to Cohn's meeting with Kuehl, supporters of SB 921 weren't exactly singing her praises.

Cohn represents the 24th Assembly District, which include parts of San Jose including Willow Glen, Campbell, Saratoga and portions of Santa Clara.

"We just want to show her that a lot of people in this area are in crisis," said Sandy Perry, a member of the Community Homeless Alliance Ministry. "There are 200,000 uninsured people in this county. Premiums are going out of sight. Healthcare is becoming completely unaffordable."

Rally organizers intimated that Cohn's initial reticence to back the bill was tied to the 57 insurance companies that had contributed more than $72,000 to her November re-election fund.

In response Cohn issued a statement that read in part, "As for implications that my vote on health issues is determined by campaign contributions from the insurance industry, a look at the public record shows that of 13 bills supported by the industry this session, I voted against the industry 12 times, abstaining once."

Cohn, who is chairwoman of the Assembly Health Committee, noted that she supported all seven universal healthcare bills introduced last year.

Cohn also backed the Health Insurance Act of 2003, which was signed into law but faces repeal if a voter referendum passes in November. The law requires that employers pay a fee to the state to provide health insurance unless they already provide coverage directly. The referendum is sponsored by a coalition of business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce and the state's restaurant and retail associations.

Supporters of Kuehl's bill say that while the Health Insurance Act is a step in the right direction, it covers only 1 million of the estimated 7 million uninsured people in California.

"It's better than nothing," said Lynne Huidekoper, co-chairwoman of the Santa Clara County chapter of Healthcare for All. "It's not as beneficial to employers as SB 921 because insurance companies will stay in the picture."

Under SB 921, a healthcare tax would replace insurance premiums, co-payments and deductibles. These tax monies would go into a state fund governed by a healthcare commissioner. The fund would be used to insure all California residents, including undocumented immigrants, and coverage would include all healthcare except for nonmedical cosmetic surgery.

"Everyone would have identical coverage, whether they're the governor or a homeless person," said Saratogan Lynne Penek-Holden, Huidekoper's co-chairwoman for Healthcare for All. "Primary-care providers would have to compete based on quality. Doctors would have 100 percent compensated care. They'd be back in the business of providing healthcare rather than trying to end run around insurance companies."

Huidekoper said the bill has a "quality of care" component that sets it apart from other universal healthcare initiatives. "It establishes an office of consumer advocacy and a doctor review board," she added. "It recommends that patients get culturally appropriate care in their own language."

The bill also allows Californians to choose their primary-care physicians, which some supporters say would be a welcome change from insurance companies who assign doctors seemingly at random.

"Under SB 921, you'd be able to go to any doctor you wanted," said Healthcare for All member Marge Lester, who lives in Campbell. "There would be a lot more flexibility."

District 22 Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, who co-authored SB 921, said the bill doesn't advocate socialized medicine, a system in which the government owns all healthcare facilities and employs all the workers therein.

"There won't be a government system of providers but a government system of ensuring care," Lieber said.

With the existing healthcare act facing possible repeal, Lieber said she's been stressing the financial benefits of SB 921 to the business owners in her district. It's estimated that a single-payer system would save $14 billion in annual administrative costs, $4 billion on prescription drugs and medical equipment and $3 billion from a reduction in emergency-room visits.

"I've encouraged the businesses I represent to do the math and figure out the costs compared to what they're paying now. I really believe it's dramatically less," Lieber said. "If employers really want to see workers' compensation completely end, go to a system where everyone's covered."

Even with Cohn's support, the bill's backers are still worried that the legislation might die in committee, since one more health-committee member still had to sign on in order for SB 921 to progress to the revenue and taxation committee.

"We're fighting the battle of next Tuesday," Healthcare for All member David Wald told those assembled at the June 16 rally. "It's a long shot at this point."