Trump and his extreme Republican party are putting the lives of millions of Americans at risk by using Trumpcare to end Medicaid and Medicare and dismantle the Affordable Care Act. In California, lawmakers are fighting back, and they need our support to win.
Progressive lawmakers in the California Senate just voted to advance the Healthy California Act (S.B. 562), a bill that would guarantee health coverage for every Californian regardless of their gender, race, age, ability to pay or immigration status through a state-funded health program, also known as single-payer health care.1
S.B. 562 needs a two-thirds majority to pass in the state legislature, which is why we must build momentum now. Will you add your support?
A single-payer system would leave the current medical system in place, but replace the for-profit insurance companies that drive up costs without making us any healthier. So it makes sense that most Americans – including 41 percent of Republicans – support single-payer health care.2 If S.B. 562 becomes law, California would be the testing ground for a national push.
The Healthy California Act would:
- Cover every California resident under one government-funded health plan
- Give patients the power to pick their own doctor
- Cut out insurance company waste and duplication
- Eliminate steep co-pays and high deductibles
- Provide transparent public oversight of cost and quality of care
- Lower prescription drug prices3
In California, advocating for single-payer health care is nothing new. In 2006, California Democrats pushed a single-payer bill through the state legislature that was later vetoed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.4 And now, more than 10 years later, we have another chance to make health care for all a reality in the state.
Since Election Day, California has obstructed Trump’s hateful administration at every turn. When Trump signed racist executive orders to criminalize immigrants, California leaders immediately introduced legislation to protect them. When Trump reinstated his unconstitutional Muslim ban, California was one of the first states to join a lawsuit against it. And now, while Trump and heartless congressional Republicans are trying to destroy our health care and social safety net, California’s progressive lawmakers are advancing policies that would not only protect Californians from the dangers of Trumpcare, but also guarantee health insurance coverage for all state residents.
The health insurance industry is organizing massive opposition to S.B. 562. And because the bill needs a two-thirds majority to pass in the state legislature, every single California Democrat must hold the line if we want a single-payer system in the state. That’s why we’re teaming up with our friends at Courage Campaign to show state lawmakers that there are more Californians who support single-payer, than those who do not. California can and must lead now.
Tell California lawmakers and Gov. Brown: California says yes to single-payer health care. Click the link below to sign the petition.
https://act.credoaction.com/