Amidst a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in California, a new state bill and constitutional amendment has been proposed. Known as CalCare, Assembly Bill 1400 promises a universal healthcare system available to all eligible Californians. 

The bill regards healthcare as a human right for all California residents – regardless of citizenship status. National Nurses United (NNU), a sponsor of CalCare, reports that Calcare was also designed with a special project budget to address health disparities and create a safety net to support all residents regardless of racial, geographical, and economic differences. 

Calcare is a single-payer system – a type of universal healthcare where all costs for essential care for all residents is covered by one public system. This would be a major renovation of the multi-payer system currently in place. Although Americans use “significantly less health care

services than people in other industrialized countries” they spend more due to higher costs, NNU explains. To combat this, the bill aims to lower costs for high quality health care by “streamlining payments and lowering per-capita health care spending.” It would also cut out wasteful and unnecessary payments to create a comprehensible system that works in favor of residents. 

Under Calcare, residents would be allowed to choose doctors, hospitals, and other providers without needing to worry if it is “in-network”. Prior to and after receiving care, Californians would not need to pay any premiums, deductibles or copays. The single-payer system would also allow healthcare providers to focus time and resources on providing quality care instead of resolving billing. 

Another health disparity Calcare is determined to aid is the quality of care of California’s elderly population or residents 60 years or older. According to data released by the California Department of Aging, California’s elderly population is “expected to grow three times as fast as the total population”, which will add to the already prominent pressure on healthcare services. Although Medicare is already in place to aid elderly Californians, access to quality care will need reinforcements and improvements – both of which Calcare plans to provide in order to secure long-lasting care. 

On a larger scale, Calcare also plans to negotiate bulk drug prices to lower the costs of prescription drugs for all Califonians. It would also negotiate bigger budgets dedicated to building and improving hospitals and other medical facilities in underserved or rural areas.

Overall, Calcare’s mission is to create a single-payer healthcare system dedicated to providing high-quality and comprehensive care for all Californians. In order to move forward, the bill will first need to clear an Assembly floor vote before reaching Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. 

Photo courtesy of PIX4FREE.ORG