Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • California State of Mind
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Health Care
  • State Government
  •  

Universal Coverage Committee Looks To Other States' Single Payer Plans For Lessons

  •  Sammy Caiola 
Monday, December 11, 2017 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
  

California lawmakers pushing for universal health care are hoping to draw on the experiences of other states and cities that have tried similar models.

The California Assembly's Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage will meet for a second hearing Monday, this time with a panel of experts from across the country.

Assembly speaker Anthony Rendon convened the committee after shelving a Senate single payer proposal that he called “woefully incomplete.” It was expected to cost $400 billion annually in state funds.

Democratic assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) co-chairs the committee. He said they're looking for a solution that would cover all Californians, but not necessarily one that would eliminate all private plans, as most single payer models do. 

He said hearing from other states will be vital to moving forward.

“We hope to learn how they put their programs together and learn from their success, and then we’re going to look at the challenges around cost containment for medical care in general," Wood said. "So, we’re moving far and wide to bring as many people to give us as much information as we can.”

The panel includes former Vermont governor Peter Shumlin. Shumlin got a single-payer plan through the legislature in 2011, but ultimately determined it would be too costly for the state.

Typically states try to pay for single payer plans by waging individual and payroll taxes for a public health pool. The idea is that people will be paying taxes for comprehensive care, but they won't be paying premiums for individual plans. 

Linda Blumberg, a senior fellow in the Health Policy Center at a D.C.-based think tank called the Urban Institute, said that proposal doesn't typically fare well in the political arena. 

“A move to a single payer in one big step is probably going to be more challenging than states in the United States can really take on politically with success at this point," she said.

"There’s potential to move more in that direction by setting up a system that’s available to everybody where the financial assistance is more generous than what the Affordable Care Act is providing, but if people want to maintain their employer-sponsored insurance, they can do that.”

Wood says he doesn’t know what California’s next proposal will look like, but he knows it will have to be realistic about cost.

"How do we get the resources from the federal government to go it alone? And if we can’t get those resources, can we go it alone? The financing part of that is a challenge, and transition is a challenge." 

How Other Single-Payer Plans Have Fared

In the last few years, single-payer models have popped up all over the country. Some plans have died at the governors’ desk, others on the Senate or Assembly floor. Many are still in progress, and some have just begun. Here’s a look at what a few other states have tried:

Vermont- Vermont’s Green Mountain Health Care system would have provided publicly financed coverage for all Vermont residents. A bill establishing the system was signed into law in 2011, bringing Vermont closer to a single-payer system than any other state. But former Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin shelved the plan in 2014, after financial analysis showed that paying for it would have required a payroll tax of 11.5 percent and an income tax as high as 9.5 percent.

California- The single-payer plan proposed in SB562 this year would have cost roughly $400 billion dollars per year.  Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon shelved the bill, calling it “woefully incomplete,” but said he would continue to fight for health care for all Californians.  In August, Rendon called for the launch of the Assembly Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage. The committee will hold its second hearing on Monday.

New York- The proposed New York Health Act - a law to establish a single payer system -  passed in the assembly for the third time this May,  but was later vetoed in the Senate. The plan would have been funded by a payroll assessment, similar to a Medicare tax.

Massachusetts- The Massachusetts Senate passed a health care reform bill last month calling for further study of the cost of a single payer system. The bill includes a special amendment - if the annual cost-estimate turns out to be lower than the overall cost of the current market-based system, the state will then be directed to begin laying groundwork for a single-payer plan. The bill now moves to the House.

Colorado- ColoradoCare was defeated on a public referendum in November 2016.  It would have eliminated most private health insurance and created a taxpayer-funded cooperative to provide healthcare for all residents.

Maryland- A Maryland gubernatorial candidate called for a single-payer plan this week that would eliminate all premiums and out-of-pocket costs for state residents. He did not specify how the state would cover the cost of the plan.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    Single Payer Vs Universal Health Care: What's The Difference?

    Monday, August 28, 2017
    From single payer to universal coverage, California looks for a way to cover the uninsured.

 affordable care acthealth careBernie SandersAnthony RendonMedicare For Alluniversal coveragesingle payJim WoodVermont

Sammy Caiola

Healthcare Reporter

Sammy Caiola has been covering medical breakthroughs, fitness fads and health policy in California since 2014. Before joining CapRadio, Sammy was a health reporter at The Sacramento Bee.  Read Full Bio 

 @sammycaiola Email Sammy Caiola

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Health Care Stories

Mario Tama / Getty Images

California Will Begin Setting Aside 10% Of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses For Teachers

February 20, 2021

John Locher / AP Photo

Nevada Seeks To Address ‘Equity Crisis’ In COVID-19 Vaccine Access

February 23, 2021

Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

COVID-19 Testing In California Dropped By Over 30% In Recent Weeks. That Could Be A Good Sign

February 19, 2021

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Gavin Newsom Gets Flack From Republican Governor Candidate Kevin Faulconer Over School Reopenings

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Says Deal Is Being Negotiated To Reopen Schools Shortly

Newsom Signs Economic Relief Package, Sending $600 Stimulus Payments To Low-Income Californians

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

Tim O'Brien On Late-In-Life Fatherhood And The Things He Carried From Vietnam

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Gavin Newsom Gets Flack From Republican Governor Candidate Kevin Faulconer Over School Reopenings

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Says Deal Is Being Negotiated To Reopen Schools Shortly

Newsom Signs Economic Relief Package, Sending $600 Stimulus Payments To Low-Income Californians

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

Tim O'Brien On Late-In-Life Fatherhood And The Things He Carried From Vietnam

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.