SACRAMENTO (KNX) — Democrats in the California Legislature have revived a plan for what could be the nation's first universal health care system.
Assemblyman Ash Kalra introduced AB 1400, a universal health care bill, last year. However, it stalled when there was no plan to pay for it. Thursday Kalra unveiled ACA-11 — which would raise taxes on some businesses and individuals in order to pay for the universal health care.
“The California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, would create the California Guaranteed Health Care for All program, or CalCare, to provide comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state,” the bill reads.
“Billions of dollars that could be spent on providing equal access to health care are wasted on administrative costs necessary in a multi-payer health care system. Resources and costs spent on administration would be dramatically reduced in a single-payer system, allowing health care professionals and hospitals to focus on patient care instead.”
Democratic leaders have scheduled a hearing next Tuesday for AB 1400, according to Kalra.
The bill would need to be passed by the Assembly for it to be passed this year, according to Newsweek.
Rep. Jim Wood, the chair of the Assembly, has already announced he will vote for it. The deadline for ACA-11 is still months away.
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