California’s Long-Shot Single-Payer Health Bill Advances

"It is time to say once and for all that health care is a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it," said Democratic state Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, who wrote the bill along with Democratic state Sen. Toni Atkins of San Diego. However, an essential question is unanswered: Where will the money come from?

The Associated Press: Plan To Give Health Care To Every Californian Moves Forward

California lawmakers pushed forward Wednesday with a proposal that would substantially remake the health care system of the nation's most populous state by replacing insurance companies with government-funded health care for everyone. (Cooper, 4/26)

Los Angeles Times: California Single-Payer Healthcare Bill Passes First Committee Test

The Senate Health Committee approved the measure on a 5-2 vote after a nearly three-hour hearing, but Democrats and Republicans alike signaled unease with the major question still unanswered in the legislation: how the program would be paid for. The bill, SB 562, would establish a publicly run healthcare plan that would cover everyone living in California, including those without legal immigration status. The proposal would drastically reduce the role of insurance companies: The state would pay for all medical expenses, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency services, dental, vision, mental health and nursing home care. (Mason, 4/26)

San Jose Mercury News: California's Healthcare-For-All Bill Passes First Committee

“Colleagues, let’s do something big for our state and our constituents,’’ the bill’s co-author Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said Wednesday. “Let’s solve one of the most problematic issues of our time.’’ (Seipel, 4/27)

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