IN THIS EPISODE
What should single-payer supporters around the country think about the defeat of California’s AB 1400? Did the state just lose its bid for healthcare equity? Join guest Michael Lighty, president of Healthy California Now, and host Brenda Gazzar for an insightful analysis of how this campaign played out on the political stage.
How can advocates make healthcare equity a political necessity for legislators? In light of the growing popularity of government-run healthcare, what lessons can we learn from AB 1400? How can proponents lay the foundation for future success?
SHOW NOTES
WE DISCUSS
Talk about the choice Assemblyman Ash Kalra, the bill’s main author, faced on January 31.
“…you’re either looking at a defeat and locking certain members of the Assembly into a “no position” or you’re going to withdraw it and live to fight another day essentially. Of course, on the one hand that deprives people of going on record, on the other hand, it does keep open the possibility that those who had not yet been convinced will be convinced in the future. So the authors make these kinds of determinations all the time and sometimes it doesn’t go the way that the grassroots want it to.” – Michael Lighty
What would passing AB 1400 have accomplished??
“AB 1400 had essentially set up a process, the intent to do a program. It wasn’t going to enact CalCare. That was going to require a subsequent vote of the legislature by July 1st, 2024 and a vote of the people on the ballot.” – Michael Lighty
What challenges do advocates face now that AB 1400 is off the table?
“…the single-payer movement faces the same issues that we’ve faced for a while and that is, how do we translate the popular support, the overwhelming policy case and the clear savings to individuals and businesses that single payer represents, into a political movement that can actually create change and win a majority of votes at the ballot? That remains our challenge. Nothing’s changed…” – Michael Lighty
Helpful Links
Universal Healthcare dies in CA after Democrats refuse to vote on the bill. KALW Public Media, 91.7 FM, Bay Area
An Environmental Analysis of Health Care Delivery, Coverage, and Financing in California. Healthy California for All Commission
Financial Sustainability Under Unified Financing (beginning on slide 9). Ken Jacobs, UC Berkeley Labor Center
West-Health Gallup 2021, Healthcare in America Report. Gallup
Projected costs of single-payer healthcare financing in the United States: A systematic review of economic analyses. Christopher Cai, et al, PubMed
Episode Transcript
Read the full episode transcript.
Guest Biography
Michael Lighty, President, Healthy California Now, has organized, advocated and developed policy for single-payer, Medicare for All nationally and in California for over 30 years.
He is a founding Fellow of the Sanders Institute, and most recently, he was the Healthcare Constituency Director for Bernie 2020.
Formerly he was director of public policy for the California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United. He was lead policy analyst, a leader of Campaign for a Healthy California and testified on behalf of the single-payer bill, SB 562.
Get Involved / Take Action
Join Healthy California Now – a coalition working toward a California single-payer system. Individual and organizational membership available.
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Join Health Care for All California to keep up with local actions to support California single-payer health care.
Join Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) to support the national campaign to improve and expand Medicare to all residents of the U.S.
Find more Code WACK! episodes on ProgressiveVoices.com, on the PV App and on NurseTalk Media. You can also subscribe to Code WACK! wherever you find your podcasts. This podcast is powered by HEAL California, uplifting the voices of those fighting for health care reform around the country. I’m Brenda Gazzar.
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