A California single-payer healthcare bill is one step closer to passage after approval from the Senate Health Committee, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Here are five things to know.
1. The bill in question, SB 562, would create a government-run healthcare plan, covering people living in America illegally and all other California residents, according to the report.
2. California would foot the bill for all medical expenses, according to the report. The measure, the report notes, states the program would be paid for by “broad-based revenue,” although exact details on how the program would be funded were not included.
3. Lawmakers had a few ideas on how to implement the single-payer system, including the use of EHRs and securing federal waivers to administer Medicaid and Medicare monies, according to the report.
4. Among the bill’s supporters are labor groups, such as the California Nurses Association, as well as consumer groups and the grassroots group Our Revolution, reports the Los Angeles Times. Opposing groups cited in the report include insurers, manufacturers and the California Chamber of Commerce.
5. One of the bill’s co-authors, Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, said a detailed financial study would be completed next month, according to the report.
HENRY KOTULA 