In my reading of daily news from various sources, it is clear we are no closer to a solution on healthcare than we were three months ago. Here are just a handful of recent headlines:
Senate Republicans continue work on ACA replacement
Time may be running out on Senate Obamacare talks
Ideas emerge as Senate debates health care
Trump Seeks Delay of Ruling on Health Law Subsidies, Prolonging Uncertainty
Senators explore options for pre-existing conditions
The most interesting headline is what’s happening right here in CA:
Calif. single-payer health care bill would cost $400B, analysis finds
A current bill in the CA legislature (SB562) would remove insurance companies from healthcare delivery and provide 100% coverage for all legal and illegal residents (including Medicare recipients, Medi-Cal recipients, employer based insurance participants, enrollees in CoveredCA and private insurance plans). All public funds currently utilized on healthcare (Medicare, Medi-Cal, CoveredCA subsidies) would be used to cover half of the $400 billion estimate with the other 50% coming from employer and personal tax increases.
Gov. Jerry Brown has concerns and the bill would need Washington’s (Trump) approval in releasing federal funds to such a program. California loves to be first and you can bet other states will see how this progresses.
The longer it takes for an Obamacare “fix”, the greater success single payer initiatives will have in gaining followers.
Stay Tuned.
Phil Dougherty