I’d like to answer to Frank Weber’s questions in his letter on single-payer health care in California (Single-payer medical insurance? Don’t believe the hype,” Times-Standard, July 5, Page A4).

1. Will Medicare for all (SB 562, the Healthy California Act) provide 100 percent coverage for everyone? Yes. No copays, no deductibles.

2. Why doesn’t Medicare pay 100 percent now, instead of 80 percent? It’s underfunded. SB 562 would not be underfunded. (See the funding plan under question 9.) And the Healthy California Act would rein in soaring health costs.

3. Will using a state single-payer mandate cause private insurance companies to cease doing business in California? Yes.

4. What’s the workable proposal for transferring ownership of private insurance coverage to the state government? There will be a transitional period during which private companies shut down their state operations and the state expands its operations. Many employees of private insurance companies will qualify to work for the state.

5. Under single-payer, will California negotiate lower drug costs? Yes. Bills setting this up on the federal level have been voted down because the pharmaceutical industry owns Congress. Or at least it’s one of the owners.

6. Will single-payer “eliminate” the cost of medical billers and coders? No. But it will slash their numbers. They’ll be dealing with one standard system.

7. Mr. Weber says that some health insurance corporation profits go to “children’s cancer research and other disease-related projects.” That doesn’t nearly make up for their 20 percent to 30 percent overhead (compared to 2 percent to 3 percent for Medicare). They may toss some crumbs to charity for public relations, but most of their profits go to administrative costs, outrageous CEO salaries, and very demanding stockholders. Insurance corporations are making obscene profits off our need for health care.

8. Will the money gathered for single-payer be distributed by “argumentative politicians”? No. Healthy California will have two governing bodies. There will be a nine-member board which will include at least one representative of the following groups: nurses, the general public, a labor organization, and the medical provider community. All nine must have demonstrated expertise in health care. This board will be appointed by the governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker of the Assembly. California’s secretary of Health and Human Services will also serve on this board. The second governing body will be a 22-member public advisory committee. It will include a specified range of health care providers as well as representatives of private and public hospitals, integrated health care services, labor, small business, and large businesses. Four consumers of health care will also serve, including one disabled person and one 65 years or older.

9. Mr. Weber doesn’t ask this question, but he implies skepticism about paying for universal, comprehensive coverage for all Californians, and it’s important to address this. All federal and state monies normally collected by California to pay for health care will go into the fund. A study by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute shows we can make up the rest with modest tax increases. First, for businesses: a 2.3 percent gross receipts tax (exempting the first $2 million). Businesses with fewer than 10 employees would see their health care costs reduced by 22 percent. Large companies with up to 500 employees would save 6 percent.

Individuals would see a 2.3 percent sales tax (excluding housing, utilities, and groceries). This would cut what most families now spend on health care by up to 9 percent. Of course people would no longer be paying health insurance premiums, copays, deductibles, and many other out-of-pocket expenses.

People and businesses in California will spend $37 billion dollars less per year on health care — and get a whole lot more for their money.

I also want to point out that not only will our health care costs be 100 percent paid for, coverage will be expanded to include dental, mental, vision, prescription drugs, substance abuse treatment, medical equipment, rehabilitative care, emergency services, hospice, care in a skilled nursing facility, home health care, chiropractic, acupuncture, dialysis, adult day health care, and approved complementary and alternative medicine.

If we eliminate the profit and focus on people, we can do this.

The insurance companies will assail us with a blizzard of misinformation. And they will call in all the favors they believe they’ve paid for from our state legislators. It’s up to us to demand that our representatives work for the people and for a Healthy California.

Margaret Emerson resides in Arcata.