With congressional Republicans working to end Obamacare, California will consider going it alone and instituting a statewide single-payer health insurance system.

State Sen. Ricardo Lara introduced a bill Friday that would make California the first state to adopt a single-payer system, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Single-payer bills made it through the state's legislature in 2006 and 2008 but were vetoed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Under such a system, the government essentially becomes the health insurer, sidelining private insurance companies and dictating coverage.

"More than ever, we know that universal healthcare is popular in the minds of Californians," Lara told the Times.

Nevertheless, the plan would be hugely expensive. A 2008 study showed that even with a tax on Californians and steps to pool healthcare funds, the state would still be $40 billion short.

"Where were they going to come up with the $40 billion?" Micah Weinberg, president of the Economic Institute at the Bay Area Council, told the Times. "It's just not feasible to do as a state."

Solidly-Democratic California, where President Trump is unpopular, seems increasingly out of step with much of the rest of the nation, with some in recent weeks even broaching the idea of secession.