A California lawmaker introduced a bill on Thursday that would fund single-payer healthcare in the nation's largest state through new income, payroll and business taxes, part of a push by California politicians to roll out the country's first single-payer system.
October 9, 2003 is when the California state Capitol building is shown. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the election to replace Gray Davis. David Paul Morris is the photographer.
The images are from the same company.
Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11 was introduced by Ash Kalra on Thursday and contained a taxation plan to fund single-payer universal healthcare in California.
The concept of "CalCare" was initially proposed by Kalra in California Assembly Bill 1400, but it failed to advance out of committee because there was no detailed plan to fund the program.
CalCare would provide single-payer coverage for all residents of the state, allowing them to access any doctor regardless of network, and would aim to lower prescription drug costs.
The bill will need the approval of both houses of the legislature and the voters of California.
The chair of the Assembly health committee, Jim Wood, announced Thursday that he will be voting to move the bill forward with the help of at least 20 other Assembly Democrats.
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The California Nurses Association, which is sponsoring the bill, said in a statement Thursday that out-of-pocket healthcare costs for Californians will continue to sharply rise. Californians can get the care they need without going into medical debt, starting a GoFundMe campaign, or going homeless, if the state guarantees it.
According to the Associated Press, the California Hospital Association and the California Medical Association opposed the bill, saying it would take away any choice for anyone who might want to choose private coverage or opt out.
The key background.
Some critics say that Gov. Newsom shifted his wording to favor expanding existing public options in order to win the election. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon put the brakes on the universal healthcare bill due to financing issues and potential backlash from the Trump administration.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
The Biden administration has a plan to reduce prescription drug prices, strengthen the Affordable Care Act, reduce health care premiums, and expand Medicare to include coverage for hearing benefits. The bill is dead due to the fact that Sen. Joe Manchin holds a key swing vote in the Senate. Biden does not support eliminating private health care, but rather a public option.
Vermont was close to becoming the first state to establish a single-payer healthcare system in 2014, but the bill was scrapped at the last minute after lawmakers could not find a way to cover the cost of the plan.
