California Senate Approves Single-Payer Health Care Proposal Despite Governor's Veto Pledge

[Hissyspit]

Source: Los Angeles Times

California Senate approves single-payer health care proposal despite governor's veto pledge

DON THOMPSON Associated Press Writer

January 28, 2010 | 1:20 p.m.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Senate approved creating a government-run health care system for the nation's most populous state on Thursday, ignoring a veto threat from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Supporters said it is time for state legislatures to take up the debate as the Obama Administration's national health care proposal falters in Congress. "If it's not to be done at the national level, let us take the lead," said state Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego.

The move in California comes after Massachusetts voters changed the calculus in Congress by electing a Republican to the Senate who opposes the pending plan.

Democrats are the majority in both houses of the California Legislature. The 40-member state Senate passed the single-payer plan on a 22-14 vote, sending it to the Assembly. One Democrat voted against the measure.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-california-health-care,0,4655728.story

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Good news!

California often leads the way ...so I hope other states will take up the call, and fight.

K&R

[Ian David]

2. Der Gropenfuhrer is an economic girlie-man. n/t

[ProudDad]

11. Der SteroidenGroppenFuhrer will veto it again...

But next year -- he's OUT...

Of course, when it does finally pass, the court fight begins since ERISA won't let states go single-payer...

[ccharles000]

3. good

[Onisac]

4. It'll come up again when we elect a Dem this year.

Good news indeed.

[Posteritatis]

5. Does California have any veto-overriding abilities past a supermajority?

Or is he just going to block it period short of that and a proposition undo it otherwise?

[Oerdin]

6. Really great

I hope we get it.

[stopbush]

7. So, Ah-nold is back to his veto threats again.

He's vetoed this legislation twice already, but he said that he had changed his mind and would sign such a bill if it came up again. In fact, Ah-nold himself proposed a single-payer system for CA back in 2007:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june07/arnold_01-09.html

[glinda]

8. Great move! Many States should do this if they can!

[David__77]

9. Health care will probably have to be a state-level struggle.

I favor ballot efforts.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. businesses and people will flock to CA

think about it!

They may have to set immigration laws to prevent too many people moving to CA.

[comtec]

13. I'll return!

I miss living in California, if there was universal I could buy into i'd happily return.
I'll miss all the employee protections I have here in europe, but medical and overall happiness is really important too.

[Jim Lane]

14. Their problem is that the WRONG people will flock there

By "wrong" I mean people like me -- cancer survivors and others who are higher risks.

How can single-payer in one state work? An uninsured person in another state who needs a liver transplant will move to California. Thus, the state's underwriting pool becomes badly skewed, as the average per capita cost of appropriate health care skyrockets.

If the state tries to prohibit new residents from enrolling in its plan, I think it would encounter a challenge under the U.S. Constitution, though I'm not sure what the law is on that point.

I'd love to see single-payer enacted at the national level. An attempt to do it state-by-state, though, would be courting disaster.

[dana_b]

12. great! now let's elect Jerry Brown and maybe

he'll go for it.

[Hissyspit]

15. .