California en route to becoming “Single Payer” State
Because being only a “Sanctuary State” just isn’t bad enough!
As if being a “Sanctuary State” isn’t bad enough, California is posed to become a “Single Payer” state for healthcare!
Senate Bill 562, the Healthy California Act, promises to create universal health care in the state. It easily passed its first major legislative hurdle last week, clearing the state senate committee.
The bill would establish a publicly run health plan that would cover everyone living in California — all 39 million of us — regardless of immigration status. Co-authored by San Francisco’s own, state Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember David Chiu (among others), the proposal would pay for all medical expenses, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency services, dental, vision, mental health, substance abuse treatment, acupuncture and chiropractic care.
Under the proposed plan, everyone would be covered, from undocumented residents to Medicare and Medicaid recipients to employees who currently get their health insurance through work. The plan is truly free of charge — no co-pays or deductibles. And you will be able to choose your doctor from a huge list of providers, rather than an insurer’s network.
The steep price tag and likely budgetary consequences are already causing great concern among reasonable Californians.
Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council that represents many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest employers, has this analysis:
…California’s current system relies in large part on employer-sponsored insurance, which is still the source of health care coverage for tens of millions of people. That coverage would disappear under SB 562. Instead of receiving coverage financed by their employers, working Californians would see a tax increase of well over $10,000 per year for many middle-income families.
For some Californians, this will be less than they are paying out of pocket for health insurance. For many it would be more. All, however, could see health spending in the state budget swell toward the state’s total health spending of $250 billion per year, crowding out essential investments that are also critical to the health of Californians, such as funding for education and transportation. Spending less would mean cutting the pay of nurses, doctors and other health care professionals by at least 50 percent.
This move will mean that organizations such as the California Tea Party groups will be mobilizing in 2018 with the aim of eliminating the Democratic Party’s super-majority in the Assembly and Senate, as this measure (or some misguided variation) will require a 2/3rds majority in order to proceed.
“From what I’ve read, the program would be administered by a nine-member board, appointed by the governor and legislature, with an advisory committee, so it’s got the death panel built right in,” said Dawn Wildman, leading organizer with the California Tea Party Groups. “Our legislators seem to think they won’t fail, like other states have, at implementing single payer. “
Legal Insurrection readers will recall that the Vermont single-payer system failed. A postmortem concluded there were six reasons for the implosion.
1) The state insisted on platinum-level coverage.
2) There was no clear understanding from where, exactly, the funds would be coming.
3) Implementing the plan would have meant a 160 percent tax increase.
4) Hospitals and insurance companies were willing to fight the plan.
5) Promised “savings” weren’t materializing.
6) In order to fully be “Single Payer”, waivers from the federal government for Medicaid and Medicare would be needed.
Plainly, California won’t fail like Vermont. It will fail far more spectacularly if it proceeds.
The bill next goes before the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 26.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
The mental health coverage has the potential to bust the system.
Just Jerry Brown’s bills alone.
Communisfornia needs some local critic such as Joe Dan –
with his Intellectual Froglegs videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMBZUNUPJyY
5) Promised “savings” were materializing.
Why is that bad?
But the promised edits did….thanks!
Perhaps it was like California’s Bullet Train “was materializing” right over all the fault lines?
Would medical personnel really remain in CA? It appears that these politicians plan every boondoggle in isolation of every other boondoggle. This will not end well.
You nailed it. Nobody talks about the doctors in these debates. Apparently they’re just supposed to shut up and take it.
Eventually, CA would have to pay for the college/med school in return for a long term commitment to “serving” as a physician.
Don’t worry. It’ll be like the Russkie janitor at your local grade school lamenting “Een my country I vass brain sturgeon!”
I wish these politicians would practice truth in advertising, and call single-payer “health care” for what it is: it’s a “We want to control every aspect of your life from cradle to grave” act.
I knew we made the right decision in 2011 when we left the state. It just keeps getting worse.
Communisfornia.
By single payer they mean it will be paid by the one person left in California with a job.
Have any of you looked at this site? The real cost of healthcare.
https://surgerycenterok.com/pricing/
Yes, that surgical center costs less than procedures in the “real” world. However, they have chosen to treat “off the grid.” They are not subject to the sometimes inane regulatory cost generating policies and procedures required to treat medicare patients…..For example, medicare (CMS) has tried to eliminate fraud/over-payment through something called “RAC” audits. They operate via a guilty till proven innocent system which is very costly to providers. To protect themselves, hospitals hire groups (extra cost) that will do audits and provide “insurance” against the government audits…..The cost of taking care of patients with insurance (both government and private) is huge.
Don’t forget to read the fine print…
https://surgerycenterok.com/pricing-disclaimer/
When this center first opened, they limited the types of surgeries. So, this was a very cost effective mode.
They have expanded the surgical staff, procedures and they are now accepting insurance. The pricing list doesn’t apply if you are using insurance. And the extras cost.
This is a glorious idea. Let California go full-on Socialist-retard. All the wanna-be commies can flock there while the rest of the country sits back, pops some popcorn and watches the slow motion train-wreck.
One condition: NO federal bailouts!
Paul has it correct, and I say the sooner the better. There will be no better example of, nor more deserving state to have a massively failed health care system than California to serve as an example to the rest of the country just what happens.
Q: So what stops Mexican citizens with major health issues from visiting California to get their million-dollar health care problems treated on the taxpayer’s dime?
A: Nothing at all.
What stops the rest of the world from going to Commiefornia for free healthcare?
Well, the main thing stopping others from showing up for “free” healthcare is that after the first week, “emergency” procedures will take 7-10 days, the wait for things like bypass heart surgery will be 12-36 MONTHS and that is just until enough doctors, nurses and technicians can pack up and move to Neveda or other states. Then expect the wait time to DOUBLE Knee replacements, hip replacements? Nah. COSTS TOO MUCH and the companies that make the items won’t sell to Commiefornia for fear of being sued. IOW, look forward to Venezuelan style “healthcare”.
This is an experiment that is entirely practical, and suitable, at the state level.
That said, it remains to be seen if a capitalist market can be restored at any level, including federal, that will offer a basis to compare performance.
You mean like the many dental clinics in and about Tijuana and Rosarito that provide first class treatment for cash at a fee one fifth of that in America and the nurses and Doctors were often trained in America?
Utter disaster. We already know what happens whenever this is inflicted on a population—
1. Unlimited price spiral—the costs don’t go away, the only “good” thing about it is that one can hope that it lands on someone else;
2. Low-quality care;
3. Long waiting lists for this expensive and low-quality care;
and, most importantly (and most inevitably),
4. rationed health care.
This is no mystery. Depend on it happening—it always does.
Sure. Have at it.
I think this is great. Let them experiment; long live the 10th Amendment!
But THEY can pay for it. No federal bailout money. How we can guarantee that, I have no idea.
Guarantee? The Republican-controlled Congress and Senate would never bail them out! Oh, wait…
It covers acupuncture and chiropractic care. So, it’s really California Quack Care.
If I lived in California, I’d be hurrying my way out right about now. Real estate ought be dropping there really quick.
What are they going to do about residents from other states who come in and want free health care? If they want to see my ID, I just say I’m undocumented – treat me!
That, uninsurables (pre-existing conditions), illegals, and unemployed are about all they can expect to attract. And make it mandatory for people to be covered, everyone the NEED will flee. I can leave at the drop of a hat. The wealthy have been leaving too so who will be left to pay into the system? Those big new Paul Ryan insurance industry subsidies? Ryan has no idea how big “big” can be.
If this passes, which I doubt seriously, the same thing will happen in CA as happened in VT. The main thing is that the insurance companies will never be able to make the actuarial numbers work and will drop out. I am exactly the kind of participant they need. Self-employed, never sick, have never taken prescription medication for anything, no health issues whatsoever, good genes,… Unfortunately for them, if they DO pass this, I’m taking my business, income taxes, spending elsewhere.
I’ve had it. I’ll miss the weather for sure but it just isn’t worth it. The traffic, the weirdness, the cost of everything exploding,…. no speakie dee English,…
I can work at home anywhere I want. My clients have been leaving for years. Half of my book is already outside CA. Most of my clients and friends feel the same way. Something is going to give and I don’t want to be here when it does.
Colorado’s ballot initiative to create single payer died a horrible death last November with 79% voting no. Even socialist Vermont has enough sense remaining to kick this idea to the curb. But hubristic California is charging ahead, never mind the underfunded pension liabilities, crumbling roads, and soon an expensive rail line between SF and LA. This is why people are fleeing California for other states.
Between SF and LA? If only. It’s somewhere short of SF to somewhere short of LA, in other words, from nowhere to nowhere.
1) I heard today that the California independence movement has restarted and petitions are circulating again. Californians should sign early and sign often.
2) What do you want to bet that members of the Nomenklatura and those they favor will have a separate medical system? If the politicians, Hollywood types, etc. are not in the same system and it is not mandatory for them, it is just another version of Animal Farm.
It’s been said that secession is all but impossible. How about expulsion?
Looks like the People’s Republic of California (a wholly owned subsidy of the Democrat Party) aka ‘North Venezuela, is looking to make room for all the celebrities, politicians, LGBTUVWXYZ and illegal ‘visitors’. Easy to do, just raise taxes, go single-payer, become a ‘safe space’ for criminals and pedophiles, druggies thus forcing Thinking Adults (and their money) to move to places like Texas.
On the bright side, as a business owner will I no longer have to provide Worker’s Comp? If everyone is covered for every injury we shouldn’t need WC. That would save me a LOT of money.
LOL, who am I kidding. They’ll probably RAISE the rates to try and pay for this boondoggle. Anybody want to buy a bar & grill, est. 31 yrs? 🙂
if California becomes a ‘single payer’ system will they pay? consider this when some taxpayers had a refund coming not that long ago didn’t they get IOU’s instead of a check? did CA make good on those checks.
It’s hard enough to get a claim paid through California Medicaid. If anyone thinks that reimbursement with single payer will be better or easier, they will be in for a rude awakening.