The economic case for universal health care (with CA Assemblymember Ash Kalra)

Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer

Civic Ventures

Business, Government, News, Politics

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The United States spends far more on healthcare costs than other industrialized countries, yet we continue to have wider gaps of coverage and report worse health outcomes. California Assemblymember Ash Kalra is paving the way for a better system in his state through the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, which at the time of recording had been advancing through the state legislature for nearly a year. The night before this episode posted, the Bill died in the Assembly — but Assemblymember Kalra's thoughts on how a state-based single payer system would work, the hurdles it faces, and how such a program could become the blueprint for national health care reform can still inspire future lawmakers and activists to find new paths forward for health care in America. Ash Kalra represents California’s 27th District. In 2016 he became the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history and was re-elected to his third term in 2020. Twitter: @Ash_Kalra Single-payer healthcare proposal fizzles in California Assembly: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-31/single-payer-healthcare-proposal-fizzles-in-california-assembly Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Author of AB 1400 CA Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, Releases Statement: https://a27.asmdc.org/press-releases/20220131-assemblymember-ash-kalra-author-ab-1400-ca-guaranteed-health-care-all-act Universal health care bill advances in California Assembly: https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2022/01/12/universal-health-care-bill-advances-california-assembly ‘CalCare’ begins its long crawl to passage: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2022/01/12/calcare-begins-its-long-crawl-to-passage-495692 California Democrats Revive Universal Health Care Bill, Paid For By Tax Increase: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2022/01/06/universal-health-bill-california-democrats-tax-increase/ Fundamental health reform like ‘Medicare for All’ would help the labor market: https://www.epi.org/publication/medicare-for-all-would-help-the-labor-market/ Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com/ Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Ashley, one of the producers here at Pitchfork Economics.
0:03.3	Today's episode is a deep dive into CalCare, the single-payer health care proposal in California.
0:09.2	When we talked to Assemblymember Ash Callra last week, the Bill AB 1400 had been moving its
0:14.8	way through the California State Legislature since early 2021. But the evening before this
0:20.4	episode went out, the news broke that the Bill did not have the necessary votes to move forward
0:25.2	and had died in the Assembly. Assemblymember Callra issued a statement saying,
0:29.2	quote, despite heavy opposition and substantial misinformation from those that stand to profit
0:34.4	from our current health care system, we were able to ignite a realistic and achievable path
0:39.2	towards single-payer and bring AB 1400 to the floor of the Assembly. However, it became clear
0:44.6	that we did not have the votes necessary for passage, and I decided the best course of action
0:49.2	is to not put AB 1400 for a vote today. Although the Bill did not pass the Assembly by today's
0:54.3	deadline, this is only a pause for the single-payer movement. Our coalition will continue the fight
0:59.6	for accessible, affordable, and equitable health care for all Californians. End quote.
1:05.3	So CalCare goes back to the drawing board for now. It's a major fight that won't be solved
1:10.6	overnight, but Assemblymember Callra is on the forefront of the battle for the future of health
1:14.8	care in this country, and his thoughts about how a state-based Medicare-for-all program could
1:19.9	become a blueprint for the entire country and could inspire future lawmakers to find new paths
1:25.1	forward for health care in America. Despite what lots of people believe, we have effectively
1:32.0	the worst health care system in the developed world. Roughly 23 million Americans between the
1:38.0	ages of 19 and 64 are currently totally uninsured, and another 64 million are underinsured.
1:45.7	What CalCare does, it finally ends the nonsensical attachment of health care to employment,
1:52.0	no premiums, no deductibles, everyone in, nobody out.
	...

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