Single payer activists are zooming in on the governor’s Healthy California for All Commission meetings as the panel heads into the last six months of a two-year mandate to consider “unified financing” of universal health care in the state. Recent changes in the commission’s operation are a sign that the few and mighty pro-single-payer Commissioners and the hundreds of activists backing them up at meetings have been successful in their call to focus on single payer and reduce the role of consultants.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, Gov. Newsom’s secretary of California Health and Human Services and head of the Commission, declared at the June 25 meeting that he is taking the reins in developing agendas and facilitating the upcoming monthly meetings. The last meeting featured a comprehensive presentation by Commissioner William Hsiao, the Harvard economist who designed Taiwan’s successful single payer system. Dr. Hsiao mentioned possible challenges to making a single payer system work while making it clear that single payer advantages outstrip multi-payer or “hybrid” systems. For Dr. Hsiao’s clear definition of single payer, click here. His power point is on the Commission website page. (See below for link)
This is a critical time for supporters to attend and participate in upcoming monthly Commission meetings. The final report to the governor will come out in January or February of 2022. Click here for complete information on the Commission, including power point presentations and recordings from previous meetings, reports, public comment, and Commissioner bios (at the bottom). Click here for schedule and details of upcoming meetings.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In addition to involvement with the Commission, single payer activists continue to vigorously push two major initiatives: the campaign led by the California Nurses Association to pass AB 1400, CalCare (Kalra, Santiago, Lee); and the effort by the Healthy California Now coalition (HCN) to move the governor to “lead on single payer” by using his executive role in laying the groundwork for federal waiver support.