Universal Healthcare and Democratic Party Politics

In early January 2022, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a 2022-23 state budget proposal that included universal access to health care which would make California the first state in the U.S. to do so. Short of the ideal he promised during his campaign, this proposal did not remove industry profit taking from the system. It was an incremental step providing public subsidies to all low income Californians but lacked price control. Currently at least 30% of every healthcare dollar is effectively a giveaway to industry profits.

Newsom’s own budget acknowledges that California has a $45.7 billion budget surplus. If paying for this incremental universal healthcare proposal would cost the state $2.7 billion per year, the current budget surplus alone could cover the cost for almost 17 years.

California already covers healthcare costs for low-income people younger than 26 and those over 50. As Newsom himself responded to those critical of this budget item’s associated cost, there already is a cost: "It's called the emergency room, and it's costing you, the taxpayer, a fortune."

https://www.chcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/CAEmergencyDepartments2018.pdf

As the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) report from 2018 notes “Medi-Cal was the expected payer for 43% of all emergency department (ED) visits in 2016, compared to 26% for private payers and 21% for Medicare. Approximately one in every eight ED visits resulted in a hospital admission. Still, there were many serious conditions among patients who were not admitted, including one in ten visits classified as severe and posing immediate threat to life or physical function.”

When people are not insured or are underinsured ( insured but the out of pocket costs like copays and deductibles are too high), they delay treatment leading to worse conditions which are a lot more expensive to treat. Unaffordable pharmaceutical prices lead to rationing of medications. Those on the public plans like Medi-Cal often face long wait times for necessary appointments as their condition worsens. Anyone insured can be denied a necessary treatment when it is deemed “non-essential” by an insurance company because it is expensive and cuts into profits . All of these are reasons for the surge in costly Emergency Department visits.

And of course, that is before factoring in the pandemic when insurance companies continued to collect premiums while routine medical services were minimized. At the national level the California Health Care Foundation report has found that:

• US health spending increased by 9.7% in 2020, the largest annual increase since 2002 and double the 4.3% growth rate in 2019.
• Both out-of-pocket and private insurance spending declined in 2020, 3.2% and 1.2%, respectively.
• Public health spending (federal and state) in 2020 more than doubled (113%). Most of the increase occurred in federal spending.
• Health spending by the federal government increased by 36%.

https://www.chcf.org/publication/2022-edition-health-care-costs-101/

It is not hard to imagine that California’s health care expenses have also increased significantly. Universal health care would actually save the state money and increase productivity as residents would stay healthier and have happier and more productive lives. The 2017 Political Economy Research Institute Analysis of California Single Payer SB 562 found a $27 billion savings to the state while covering all 39 million California residents for comprehensive sevices expanded beyond what the insurance system now offers.

In light of recent polls indicating over 60% of California residents and 85% of registered Democrats support universal health care reform, (https://pnhp.org/news/sustaine... California) Democrat legislators come up short. While claiming to support universal health care, genuine support has been lacking and legislative efforts for this reform have never been realized despite falling population health status and increased costs over the years.

Legislative leadership controls the agenda, and the leadership is all noise no substance. This isn’t new, it has been going on for the last 25 years. With the ability to override vetos, legislators either claim a Republican governor is blocking them, or they claim there is no funding ( https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/01/416416/single-payer-systems-likely-save-money-us-analysis-finds), despite the evidence from 22 studies over 30 years repeatedly confirming substantial savings. Or they simply end up not getting the votes necessary to pass universal healthcare or even a single legislator blocking the taking of a vote in the midst of a pandemic!

If our Democratic Governor and Democratic legislators can't do the job they were elected to do, maybe we need a new way forward.

I am running for CA State Assembly D21. Universal healthcare is supported by a majority of residents and is not only financially cheaper than our current insurance-based system but actually saves money by removing the profiteering from the system and restoring those dollars to giving the care necessary to keep people well and healthy.

I am also an advocate for sustainability and truly affordable housing for all and not SB9 type developer giveaways that claim to do that while in fact just increasing gentrification and displacement. Much of our population is priced out of housing, can't get private financing, and can't afford the expensive housing developers like to build so maybe what we need is completely different thinking which includes stopping displacement and gentrification.

I welcome your support. Please visit my campaign website at vwww.taniasole.com or email me at tania@taniasole.com