On Saturday, Senators Ricardo Lara and Toni G. Atkins announced that the California Assembly is not planning to take up Senate Bill 562 this year–thus, killing the bill for the year.
Senate Bill 562 would put the State of California on course to become the first to enact universal health coverage. On June 2, Senate Bill 562 passed 23-14.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) released the following statement on health care:
“Yesterday, Republicans in the U.S. Senate released a cynical plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, posing a real and immediate threat to millions of Californians who only have health coverage because of the ACA.
“Preparing California to meet this threat must be the top health care priority for the Legislature, Governor Brown, and organizations that advocate for increasing access to health care.
“As someone who has long been a supporter of single payer, I am encouraged by the conversation begun by Senate Bill 562.
“However, SB 562 was sent to the Assembly woefully incomplete. Even senators who voted for SB 562 noted there are potentially fatal flaws in the bill, including the fact it does not address many serious issues, such as financing, delivery of care, cost controls, or the realities of needed action by the Trump Administration and voters to make SB 562 a genuine piece of legislation.
“In light of this, I have decided SB 562 will remain in the Assembly Rules Committee until further notice.
“Because this is the first year of a two-year session, this action does not mean SB 562 is dead. In fact, it leaves open the exact deep discussion and debate the senators who voted for SB 562 repeatedly said is needed.
“The Senate can use that time to fill the holes in SB 562 and pass and send to the Assembly workable legislation that addresses financing, delivery of care, and cost control.
“The fight for single payer also is moving forward on other fronts. The head of the Campaign for a Healthy California, an organization created to pass SB 562, has acknowledged their ultimate goal is to get a single payer initiative on the ballot, and there remains ample time for them to pursue that before November 2018.
“As those potential options work themselves out, the Assembly will stand with our partners to focus on the real, immediate threat to Californians’ health care posed by Republicans in Washington.”
Under Senate Bill 562 (The Healthy California Act) includes:
- Covers Californians for all medical care, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency care, dental, vision, mental health, and nursing home care.
- Eliminates co-pays and insurance deductibles
- Californians can choose their doctor from a full list of health care providers, not a narrow network chosen by insurance companies.
- Referrals are not required for a member to see any eligible provider.
- Californians are covered when they travel.
- Physicians and nurses will make decisions about care, and have the ability to override computers or clinical practice guidelines in the best interest of the patient.
- Healthy California will be governed by a nine-member, unpaid board appointed by the governor and Legislature and a public advisory committee of doctors, nurses, other health care providers, and consumers.
The following statement was issued Saturday.
We just found out that the California Assembly is not planning to take up Senate Bill 562 this year.
We are disappointed that the robust debate about healthcare for all that started in the California Senate will not continue in the Assembly this year. This issue is not going away, and millions of Californians are counting on their elected leaders to protect the health of their families and communities.
Continuing the push for universal healthcare has never been more critical with Congress possibly days from voting on one of the cruelest bills in our nation’s history, which will lead to millions of the poorest Americans losing insurance, soaring costs for older and sicker people, and terrible budget choices for our state.
Our first priority is to unite with others all across this country and do whatever it takes to stop this assault on the American people.
California will continue to lead our nation toward healthcare for all, and we will not turn our backs on this matter of life or death for families.
Thank you for standing with us for healthcare for all!
Senators Ricardo Lara and Toni G. Atkins
