CA Universal Health Care Bill Fails To Gather Enough Support

CALIFORNIA —California Democrats did not gather enough support Monday to pass a government-funded universal health care system. Lawmakers faced fierce opposition from business groups and the insurance industry in an election year.

The bill had until midnight to pass on Monday but it never came up for a vote after its Democratic author, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, realized it would not pass.

"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," Kalra said.

AB 1400 proposed to create the California Guaranteed Health Care for All program, which would empower state agencies to enforce a universal health care system and set its rules — but it was unclear how much that system would cost or how the government would pay for it. Democrats had filed another bill that would impose hefty new taxes on businesses and individuals, hoping to separate the two issues.

Cost remained the centerpiece for Monday's debate since the proposed law could have cost taxpayers at least $356.5 billion per year to cover California's nearly 40 million residents, according to a study of a 2017 proposal.

California's total operating budget is roughly $262 billion this year.

The California Nurses Association decried the decision and said it provided "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.”

"Nurses are especially outraged that Kalra chose to just give up on patients across the state. Nurses never give up on our patients, and we will keep fighting with our allies in the grassroots movement," the association said in a news release.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said he was "deeply disappointed" that Kalra decided not to call the bill for a vote.

"With time, we will have better and more successful legislation to bring us closer to this goal,” Rendon said. “I expect more and more of my colleagues to sign on, so we can make California a health care justice leader."