California assembly advances universal healthcare in bill that could double taxes

California assembly advances universal healthcare in bill that could double taxes


(The Center Square) – The California Assembly Health Committee voted to advance a bill that would establish a universal healthcare board that would ban most private healthcare and require shifting the entire $405 billion annually spent on healthcare in California onto the state budget. As the state faces a $73 billion budget deficit, it is unclear which taxes would have to be adopted to absorb hundreds of billions of dollars in new costs.

“With continued collaboration, California has the opportunity to be a model for the nation on what a progressive alternative to our fragmented, profit-driven status quo can be,” said Assemblymember Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, in a statement celebrating the AB 2200 advancing to the Appropriations Committee after a 9-4 vote.

The bill would enroll every state resident in CalCare, which would include gender-affirming care, home health care, assisted living facilities, dialysis, and acupuncture. While private insurance would be banned, limited private care would be available for care not covered under CalCare, but providers of non-covered services would have to negotiate prices with the government.

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