Financing a single-payer system, like CalCare, comes down to combining existing public health care dollars with progressively structured state revenue sources into a single, public program that replaces the enormous premiums, deductibles, copays, and surprise bills that individuals and employers are now paying to insurers and providers. In California, spending by the federal government on public health care programs (Medicare, Medi-Cal, and the Affordable Care Act) already represents close to 40 percent of all direct health care spending in the state while state and local spending represent about another 9 percent. For the remainder of financing, CalCare would replace our current system of insurance premiums, copays, and other cost-sharing – which disproportionately hurts working families – with a progressive financing system in which the vast majority of households would have a net savings. 

Currently, nearly 50% of health care dollars are tax dollars. The remaining will be less than what people currently pay in premiums, deductibles, copays, coinsurance out of pocket expenses. Why? because Single Payer CalCare removes the bloat and inefficiency of a for-profit system. So yes, your ‘taxes’ will go up, but you will pay less over all and receive better coverage & care. 

No, it does not. It is common for opponents of a major policy proposal to attack the proposal based on it being “too expensive” or “not paid for,” but that standard is only selectively applied when there is a big proposal on the table. Financing is just another part of the legislative process, and it is the job of the legislature to decide if a policy is worth implementing and how that policy should be funded. 

The California Nurses Association (CNA) is asking that the legislature treat CalCare like any other policy that will eventually need a funding component – that the legislature start the process of considering a policy bill (i.e., holding hearings and debating the legislation) and start the process of debating and developing a financing plan on a parallel track just as they do with every other bill. It’s a fallacy for any legislator or CalCare opponent to argue that funding for a big dollar program/policy must be discussed, agreed upon, and passed first before the legislature ever formally starts considering or has a hearing about a new program.