Thank you for coming back! This is our final and MOST IMPORTANT segment for our medical care blog series, Are YOU ready for Single Payer? The whole reason we dove into this topic was because of SB 562, the Healthy California Act.
On 6/23/17, CA Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) shelved the proposal saying it is “woefully incomplete” and has postponed any further legislative action until 1/18/18.
At the very least, this will give the CA Senate and Assembly time to address some of the serious flaws in SB 562, including the lack of a funding mechanism, zero public accountability and no way to control or manage medical care and costs.
While this bill is off the table for now, it will be sure to zombie. If it IS resurrected next year, you might not get a chance to vote on this bill. But YOU will pay for it.
As it was written, SB 562 estimated an annual price tag of $460 BILLION – and that’s just to start. The current healthcare budget is $60 billion. That’s QUITE an increase.
- Proponents don’t really balance the books when it comes to the tax burdens which could be put on all of us. When it costs too much, employers will start the lay-offs… that means you! And there’ll be no more $$ going into the unemployment trust fund… so you’ll be on your own.
- SB 562 – like the ACA — doesn’t have any language addressing the cost of getting medical care (which, let’s face it, is already out of control!)
The Insurance Mom is worried about you. She wants everyone to have easy access to medical care. The Insurance Mom thinks SB 562 is alarming. Why? Well, I’ll tell you!
Under this proposed bill, you will be forced to give up whatever health insurance you have now. Individual, union, employer, retirees, Medicare, Medi-Cal (aka Medicaid), city/county/state employees, even veterans … everyone.
YOU pay the state (significantly) higher income taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes, payroll taxes and the state controls and pays for your medical care. You will have no other choice. You will see the doctors who participate in the state’s program, and only if/when they’re available. Unless you have an emergency, you could wait a looong time to see a doctor (like in the UK or Canada).
Our previous posts went over what single payer means in CA, the affect it will have on the market, and what actually single payer and its cousins ARE.
Thank you for tuning into our blog series on single payer. You get a gold star for being well informed. Please remember, if someone says something is too good to be true it probably is. Let’s fix what’s wrong with the current system and move forward without upsetting the apple cart. And keep eyes and ears open for the future of SB 562 . . . that or something like it will likely come up in Sacramento again soon. The Insurance Mom wants what’s best for a truly healthy and covered California.
View Our Health Insurance Plans
8 comments
Woah woah woah! Back the truck up – I think there are some half truths here. The UK has STELLAR healthcare (and I’m surprised that you, born in England, are insinuating otherwise). They have “single payer”, and after living there for 12 years I’ve seen first hand how much more sense that system makes over the US’s. I was always been seen in a timely manner and my care was always excellent. I’m sorry that this type of system would put brokers such as yourself out of work, but I’d much rather pay a bit more tax for single payer so that everyone is covered a la the UK’s NHS than use the crazy mess of a system which prioritizes the wealthy which we have right now in the USA. There is absolutely no contest here – the UK’s NHS (i.e. single payer) wins HANDS DOWN in all ways. I say let’s get this bill passed in the US and start working towards a system where people don’t have to worry about dying because they can’t afford health care. How can you argue with that?
Hi… and thanks SO much for not only visiting The Insurance Mom, but reading what I write! I am so excited, and grateful and honoured. Yes, the NHS does work for millions of people. And yet I know that all of my UK friends and family also carry private insurance so they don’t have to wait in often months-long queues for services. It is the best and worst of both worlds. Did you know, for example, that the NHS Trust in the northeastern part of the country has stopped approving joint replacement surgeries on morbidly obese people? The exact definition of rationed health care because the NHS Trust is sorely underfunded. Thank you for sharing your perspective and insight. It’s a great conversation!
Woah woah woah! Back the truck up – I think there are some half truths here. The UK has STELLAR healthcare (and I’m surprised that you, born in England, are insinuating otherwise). They have “single payer”, and after living there for 12 years I’ve seen first hand how much more sense that system makes over the US’s. I was always been seen in a timely manner and my care was always excellent. I’m sorry that this type of system would put brokers such as yourself out of work, but I’d much rather pay a bit more tax for single payer so that everyone is covered a la the UK’s NHS than use the crazy mess of a system which prioritizes the wealthy which we have right now in the USA. There is absolutely no contest here – the UK’s NHS (i.e. single payer) wins HANDS DOWN in all ways. I say let’s get this bill passed in the US and start working towards a system where people don’t have to worry about dying because they can’t afford health care. How can you argue with that?
Hi… and thanks SO much for not only visiting The Insurance Mom, but reading what I write! I am so excited, and grateful and honoured. Yes, the NHS does work for millions of people. And yet I know that all of my UK friends and family also carry private insurance so they don’t have to wait in often months-long queues for services. It is the best and worst of both worlds. Did you know, for example, that the NHS Trust in the northeastern part of the country has stopped approving joint replacement surgeries on morbidly obese people? The exact definition of rationed health care because the NHS Trust is sorely underfunded. Thank you for sharing your perspective and insight. It’s a great conversation!
Thanks for your reply, Insurance Mom! I must say, you must have a very select and well-off group of friends and family in the UK if ALL of them carry private health insurance (according to YouGov, only 13% of the British population have private health insurance).
Would you mind letting me know your source for the joint replacement on obese people info? According to a Guardian article from 2016, indeed, North Yorkshire policy documents state that “for people whose BMI is 30 or more – who are defined as obese – [elective surgery] will be put back a year “or until 10% of weight loss is achieved, whichever is the sooner… The CCG added that, in either case, “patients undergoing surgery for cancer will not be affected” and its clinicians would “identify other groups of patients who should be exceptions to the policy’. Is that what you’re referring to? Sigh. If so, it seems you may have left a few details out.
Let’s be honest here -the NHS doesn’t make people wait months for critical treatment and again, insinuating such is both untrue and unfair. I could counter argue that people in the US sometimes have to wait months for treatment on private insurance. I’d rather pay a bit more in tax (and an extra 10 bucks to National Insurance payments every month is a LOT more manageable than 500 or 1000 or more a month for private insurance that people pay here) so that *everyone*, not just myself, can have access to good healthcare, than pay a huge amount every month so that I can still fork out a bunch *more* money if and when I need care for myself. It simply does not make any sense and I genuinely can’t see much of an argument to be made against single payer if you look at the facts and have first hand experience with both systems. The current grossly inflated premiums and costs associated with healthcare in this country are ridiculous. The NHS may not be perfect, but it is pretty brilliant, the quality of care has equalled or exceeded what I’ve gotten with private insurance in the US, and it is certainly about a billion times better than the broken and corrupt system we have Stateside.
We all want the best deal for the general public which will keep costs for users down and keep people healthy and safe, and if our current private system is the best solution, I still eagerly await some compelling evidence to point to that conclusion. Sadly, all I can see is a widely ill-informed public, generally frightened by the idea of change, who are under the control of wealthy and powerful corporations and politicians who do not have the public’s best interest at heart. I hope we find a solution to this national tragedy. It’s all quite frustrating! Thanks for letting me speak my mind on your website 🙂
As luck would have it, I do have some inside scoop on what the NHS is up to… thanks to a very prestigious family member (!).
And yes, my UK family & friends are very fortunate, indeed.
And yes, the NHS works for a lot of people. And for many, it does… eventually.
I just wonder how CA residents would feel about raising about $400 billion in new taxes, just to get the program started. As written, SB 562 currently relies on matching funds from the feds. With the uncertainties being created by the current administration, reliance on any kind of federal funding seems a bit unreasonable.
And yes… there certainly is a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of misunderstanding, and certainly overwhelming voracity, as you say. The hope is that eventually everyone will be well-informed and working towards a common outcome for the good.
I’m so glad you enjoy this forum. My heart is doing a little happy dance!
Thanks for your reply, Insurance Mom! I must say, you must have a very select and well-off group of friends and family in the UK if ALL of them carry private health insurance (according to YouGov, only 13% of the British population have private health insurance).
Would you mind letting me know your source for the joint replacement on obese people info? According to a Guardian article from 2016, indeed, North Yorkshire policy documents state that “for people whose BMI is 30 or more – who are defined as obese – [elective surgery] will be put back a year “or until 10% of weight loss is achieved, whichever is the sooner… The CCG added that, in either case, “patients undergoing surgery for cancer will not be affected” and its clinicians would “identify other groups of patients who should be exceptions to the policy’. Is that what you’re referring to? Sigh. If so, it seems you may have left a few details out.
Let’s be honest here -the NHS doesn’t make people wait months for critical treatment and again, insinuating such is both untrue and unfair. I could counter argue that people in the US sometimes have to wait months for treatment on private insurance. I’d rather pay a bit more in tax (and an extra 10 bucks to National Insurance payments every month is a LOT more manageable than 500 or 1000 or more a month for private insurance that people pay here) so that *everyone*, not just myself, can have access to good healthcare, than pay a huge amount every month so that I can still fork out a bunch *more* money if and when I need care for myself. It simply does not make any sense and I genuinely can’t see much of an argument to be made against single payer if you look at the facts and have first hand experience with both systems. The current grossly inflated premiums and costs associated with healthcare in this country are ridiculous. The NHS may not be perfect, but it is pretty brilliant, the quality of care has equalled or exceeded what I’ve gotten with private insurance in the US, and it is certainly about a billion times better than the broken and corrupt system we have Stateside.
We all want the best deal for the general public which will keep costs for users down and keep people healthy and safe, and if our current private system is the best solution, I still eagerly await some compelling evidence to point to that conclusion. Sadly, all I can see is a widely ill-informed public, generally frightened by the idea of change, who are under the control of wealthy and powerful corporations and politicians who do not have the public’s best interest at heart. I hope we find a solution to this national tragedy. It’s all quite frustrating! Thanks for letting me speak my mind on your website 🙂
As luck would have it, I do have some inside scoop on what the NHS is up to… thanks to a very prestigious family member (!).
And yes, my UK family & friends are very fortunate, indeed.
And yes, the NHS works for a lot of people. And for many, it does… eventually.
I just wonder how CA residents would feel about raising about $400 billion in new taxes, just to get the program started. As written, SB 562 currently relies on matching funds from the feds. With the uncertainties being created by the current administration, reliance on any kind of federal funding seems a bit unreasonable.
And yes… there certainly is a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of misunderstanding, and certainly overwhelming voracity, as you say. The hope is that eventually everyone will be well-informed and working towards a common outcome for the good.
I’m so glad you enjoy this forum. My heart is doing a little happy dance!