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Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

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Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#81

Post by jbscpa »

wjossey wrote: post #30

I'm excited to see this show up on hacker news. As a Santa Monica resident, I'd gladly pay more in taxes for universal coverage. The only way that we are going to achieve federal universal coverage is via states paving the way. Just as "Romney care" was a predecessor to the ACA, so can healthy California pave the way for the US to join the rest of the modern world with guaranteed access.

How much more would you be glad to pay?

How much more would you be glad for your employer to pay on your behalf?

How do you define "universal coverage"?

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#82

Post by __jal »

darkstar999 wrote: post #42
wjossey wrote: post #30

I'm excited to see this show up on hacker news. As a Santa Monica resident, I'd gladly pay more in taxes for universal coverage. The only way that we are going to achieve federal universal coverage is via states paving the way. Just as "Romney care" was a predecessor to the ACA, so can healthy California pave the way for the US to join the rest of the modern world with guaranteed access.

Just curious why you would gladly pay more? Can you elaborate?

Can't speak for the poster, but I live in the Bay Area, and also would happily pay more in taxes for this to happen.

That's because I think long-term, single-payer is the only sensible way to handle health care. We have (the US has) a truly screwed up healthcare system that (nearly) everyone acknowledges is inefficient, too expensive, wasteful and less effective than it could be. Looking at other countries, this is obvious.

Given the money involved, getting to single-payer will be a long-term project; now even longer, to clean up the mess currently being made. It'll involve more fighting, take longer, and be a more expensive transition than anyone likes.

Given all that, we have to start somewhere. I'm happy to start in my state, even though I have great (employer-provided) healthcare, and could easily pay for my own if I didn't.

There's also the aspect of doing the right thing, even at personal cost. I think single-payer is the right thing to do.

So that's why.

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#83

Post by [deleted] »

darkstar999 wrote: post #42
wjossey wrote: post #30

I'm excited to see this show up on hacker news. As a Santa Monica resident, I'd gladly pay more in taxes for universal coverage. The only way that we are going to achieve federal universal coverage is via states paving the way. Just as "Romney care" was a predecessor to the ACA, so can healthy California pave the way for the US to join the rest of the modern world with guaranteed access.

Just curious why you would gladly pay more? Can you elaborate?

[deleted]

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#85

Post by issa »

darkstar999 wrote: post #42
wjossey wrote: post #30

I'm excited to see this show up on hacker news. As a Santa Monica resident, I'd gladly pay more in taxes for universal coverage. The only way that we are going to achieve federal universal coverage is via states paving the way. Just as "Romney care" was a predecessor to the ACA, so can healthy California pave the way for the US to join the rest of the modern world with guaranteed access.

Just curious why you would gladly pay more? Can you elaborate?

There are many reasons. On a personal level, I believe high income people (like us tech folk) SHOULD help take care of less financially fortunate groups of people.

Practically speaking, worrying about health care (and the lack thereof) is the number one reason that makes it hard to start your own company...unless you are already wealthy.

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#86

Post by michaelchisari »

ThomPete wrote: post #58
michaelchisari wrote: post #33

Healthcare is such a massive hurdle to entrepreneurship, this would be huge!

It has very little effect if any. denmark have a true single payer system and social wellfare program you can only dream of in the us. Yet the number of startups created are declining just like ine the us. It creates a very different mindset.

It creates a very different mindset.

Danes aside, are you saying that single payer healthcare would convince Californians to be more conservative towards entrepreneurship?

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#87

Post by fsargent »

darkstar999 wrote: post #47
086421357909764 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and establish uniform pricing for services across the board

Not sure if that's totally fair, Califoria is very diverse. Rates that work in SF might not work in rural CA.

It's reasonably easy to establish pricing differences relative to land value costs to account for increased rent in the area. It's almost the same way the GSA determines Per Diem rates. https://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/100120

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#88

Post by esturk »

gavman wrote: post #32

Vermont tried this a few years ago, they had to cancel it since in the end it wasn't financially feasible [1]. CA is already dealing with severe budget issues [2][3], so while it sounds nice in theory I'm hesitant to believe the finances actually work out. [1] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/single-payer-vermont-1... [2] http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-pension-crisis-davis-d... [3] http://www.cnbc.com/201…

Interesting tidbit from the 3rd article:

"Ultimately, Thornberg believes California would be better served with a Texas-style tax revenue system where there's less reliance on personal income taxes and capital gains tied to the stock market, and more of a focus on property taxes and sales taxes."

So long as high priced real-estate are exchanging hands, CA will reap the benefit.

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#89

Post by pmoriarty »

TheSageMage wrote: post #57
gavman wrote: post #32

Vermont tried this a few years ago, they had to cancel it since in the end it wasn't financially feasible [1]. CA is already dealing with severe budget issues [2][3], so while it sounds nice in theory I'm hesitant to believe the finances actually work out. [1] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/single-payer-vermont-1... [2] http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-pension-crisis-davis-d... [3] http://www.cnbc.com/201…

I'm very new to the single-payer idea, but Vermont rates 49th for population in the US, California ranks 1st. I thought one of the strengths of a single-payer system was to leverage the power of large numbers to help drive costs down. Would this not make it more viable?

Vermont is one of the poorest states in the nation as well, while California's economy is one of the biggest in the world.

Re: Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

#90

Post by mahyarm »

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #75

If this would replace my private health insurance premiums with State taxes, I'd have about $21,600 to contribute for a family of 4, generally healthy humans. - Does it mean no such thing as 'in or out of network'? That alone cost me $10,000 in 2015, over an above the $21,600 premiums. - Will it be PPO or HMO-style? Some of us like Kaiser, some don't. - Will I be forced to change providers? A real sore spot from the…

In Canada it's like one very large HMO that covers the country or province.

Part of single payer is not being able to avoid participation. I don't know if your provider will be able to avoid participating unless they move out of CA.

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