California State Legislature Rejects Single-Payer Health Care Proposal Amid Budget Deficit

The California state legislature, controlled by Democrats, has once again turned down a proposal to establish a single-payer health care system due to the high cost and budget deficits. This government-run, publicly-funded health care idea has long been favored by left-wing Democrats and was championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Despite the Democratic supermajority in both houses of the legislature, the proposal failed to pass. The latest effort, Assembly Bill 2200, aimed to create a universal single-payer system called CalCare but was rejected due to its projected annual cost of $392 billion against a $45 billion deficit. Even in the past when the state had a budget surplus, California failed to pass a single-payer system due to concerns over the high cost. Governor Gavin Newsom, previously a supporter of Medicare for All, attributes the budget crisis to climate change impacts and mismanagement of funds.