Health care

California talks universal health care … again

By SARAH GRACE TAYLOR

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED ... California Democrats are going to try, once again, to pass universal health care after multiple years of dashed hopes and unfulfilled campaign promises from Gov. Gavin Newsom. But supporters are prepared for what they say is a perennial fight.

The Assembly Committee on Health holds its first hearing this afternoon on Bill 2200, which would establish a framework for a single-payer, state-run coverage system called CalCare to control health care costs for all residents.

Establishing single-payer health care in the state has been a hard sell in the past, mainly because of the expensive price tag. Legislative analysts have estimated it could cost between $314 billion and $391 billion a year — one reason a similar CalCare bill couldn’t garner enough support to pass in 2022.

But the new iteration of the bill faces more promising prospects with more single-payer-friendly leaders in the Legislature. An overall budget deficit and lack of funding structure could still thwart the effort again this year — but supporters remain hopeful.

“I think coming out of the pandemic, we’re seeing the desire for people to have health care more. I think it’s changed a lot of minds and more and more people are committed to making sure people don’t have to suffer or die because they pay to go to the doctor,” Assemblymember Liz Ortega told Playbook.

Ortega, a Democrat representing Hayward and one of 20 co-authors of the bill, spoke to a Sacramento rally of health care workers and other supporters ahead of the hearing.

“We are the fifth largest economy in the world and if rich people can send themselves to space, we can afford to have health care for everyone,” she told the crowd.

Despite its popularity in other countries and among progressives, no states have implemented single-payer health care.

Ortega says supporters will continue chipping away at the issue until it passes — even if it gets delayed yet another year.

“We’ll absolutely be back,” she said. “It’s a righteous issue and we’re not giving up.”