Great news!
The insurance committee of the California State Senate this afternoon approved both SB 2 (Burton/Speier), an employer mandate proposal, and SB 921 (Kuehl), a single payer proposal.
Based on the hearings today, it seems clear that almost everyone agrees that major reform is essential. The debate now centers on just what that reform should be. Most agreed that we should move forward with the legislative process on both proposals, single payer and the employer mandate. The public legislative process should serve to clarify the issues, enabling an informed decision.
If anyone needs help understanding the differences in these models of reform, you can start by reading the article that was the subject of yesterday’s message, “Private Health Plans Versus Social Insurance: Implications for Health Care Reform.”
For the article:
https://pnhp.org/publications/archives/001892.php