iNDICA News Bureau
The movement for single-payer medical insurance suffered a setback Jan 31 as the sponsors of the landmark Assembly Bill 1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act (CalCare), decided not to press for a vote in the state legislature, letting it die.
With AB 1400 lacking the votes needed to pass through the legislature by Monday, a crucial deadline, Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), the principal author, opted not to push for the vote as a defeat could have been politically damaging for some of his party colleagues.
The move angered the California Nurses Association, which has been spearheading the movement.
In a statement, the association said, “Elected leaders in California had the opportunity to put patients first and set an example for the whole country by passing AB 1400. Instead, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, main author of the bill, chose not to hold a vote on this bill at all, providing cover for those who would have been forced to go on the record about where they stand on guaranteed health care for all people in California.”
In his statement, Kalra said, “Despite heavy opposition and substantial misinformation from those that stand to profit from our current healthcare system, we were able to ignite a realistic and achievable path toward single-payer and bring AB 1400 to the floor of the Assembly.
“However, it became clear that we did not have the votes necessary for passage and I decided the best course of action is to not put AB 1400 for a vote today.”
AB 1400 would have created a publicly financed healthcare system at a cost of between $314 billion and $391 billion in state and federal funds, according to a legislative analysis, The Los Angeles Times said. But supporters of the measure said Californians would have still saved money when compared with paying for insurance, co-pays and deductibles.
Kalra said, “The facts are on our side that a single-payer system will save money and lives”. He also claimed that “the people are on our side that meaningful healthcare reform is urgently needed”.
However, with four Democratic vacancies in the Assembly, the required votes were just not there, he admitted while vowing not to give up. “Health care is a human right and CalCare has made clear the just path as an alternative to the inequitable system we have in place today,” he said.
This is the second time a single-payer bill has failed in the California Assembly. Five years ago, Speaker Anthony Rendon had shelved a Senate bill to create a single-payer plan, calling it “woefully incomplete”.
Kalra insisted the setback was just a “pause” for the movement and “our coalition, including the mighty California Nurses Association, will continue the fight for accessible, affordable, and equitable health care for all Californians”.
Kalra, who was first elected to the California Legislature in 2016 from the 27th District, which encompasses approximately half of San Jose and includes all of downtown, is now in his third term. He said he was “honored” to shepherd the bill and “it would not have been possible without the support of Speaker Rendon and AB 1400 co-authors”.
