california assembly  - Healthcare
AB-1400 (2021-2022)

Guaranteed Health Care for All
District 27 Assembly Member Ash Kalra - District 25 Assembly Member Alex Lee
District 53 Assembly Member Miguel Santiago
Summary
  • The bill would establish universal single-payer health care coverage called CalCare for all residents of California. According to Kaiser, the bill would dismantle Kaiser (health plan and providers) and other health insurance plans in California. Medicare members in California would be mandated to switch to CalCare and Medi-Cal would fall under this plan. This plan includes pharmaceuticals and workers compensation. 
Status
  • History:​ 02/01/22 - Died on third reading file.
  • Votes:​ 01/20/22 (PASS) - Assembly Appropriations - Ayes: 11, Noes: 3, NVR: 2 - Do pass as amended.  
Position
  • ​LASCC's Position: Oppose
  • CalCare will be administered by a nine-member board who are appointed by the Governor. We do not know this for a fact but none of the members appear to have healthcare finance delivery experience or business background. This will be fragmented coverage at best for all residents. Kaiser, who makes up 40% of the private insurance company market, has stated they will go out of business, and this could displace eight million of Kaiser’s insured members in the beginning of this bill’s effective date. Kaiser Foundation analysis states that the commercial private insurers pay providers rates that are more than double Medicare to make up for the shortfall. If we lose private insurance, hundreds of thousands of people would also lose their jobs as well as health systems may close. For patients, this would likely limit their access to health services, causing delays in tests and treatments. Academic health centers which provide needed teaching and research may not be solvent without private health insurance. Since Medicare insurance may not be available for residents, California would need to rely on the federal government to reimburse back the Medicare funds, as it will be the major source of funding for the program. If the bill were to pass without a source of funding, this would be the most disastrous healthcare system in the country. 
​Supplemental Article
Read the bill. Click Here