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PASADENA, Calif. -- California homeowners, renters and business owners who suffered damages in the November wildfires have only one month left to apply for disaster assistance, said state and federal officials.

"January 20, 2009, is the last day applications will be accepted for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual Assistance program," said Mark Neveau, federal coordinating officer. Loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for disaster-related losses to real and personal property must be submitted by January 21, 2009.

Federal and state disaster recovery officials urge those who have not applied, to do so as soon as possible by calling the toll-free application and help number 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) (TTY 1-800-462-7585) or register online at www.fema.gov. After the January 20 application deadline, FEMA's toll-free phone lines will still be available to help people who have already registered.

"Even if you have insurance and believe all your losses are covered, we urge you to register if you've had wildfire damages. If you find some losses weren't covered, it will be too late to apply for federal-state assistance after January 20, 2009," said Tom Maruyama, deputy state coordinating officer.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Note: According to a subsequent bulletin, more than $10.3 million in federal and state disaster assistance has been approved for residents of LA, Orange, Riverside, and Santa Barabara Counties for the wildfires.

President-elect Barack Obama has begun preparation for the debate on healthcare. His website www.change.gov, is soliciting comments already. Clearly the current system is unsustainable. The U.S. spends the most in the world on healthcare (16 percent of our gross domestic product or $2.3 trillion) yet there are 47 million people without health insurance. Many of the uninsured rely on the emergency room for their needs which is very expensive.

Regardless of the direction the Obama administration takes, there will always be winners and losers with reform. I read recently that France's system, which is often displayed as a national healthcare system that succeeds, only compensates doctors in the amount of $50,000 to $100,000 per year - half to one-third what doctors in the U.S. earn.