A Tale As Old As Time: Trying To Fix California’s Health Care System
Efforts to improve health care in the state aren't new. As the vote on a single-payer system nears, take a look back at past efforts.
KPCC:
California's Long History Of Efforts At Health Care Reform
The California Senate is set to vote on a bill that would create a state-run health care system this week. It's far from the first time the state has contemplated such a major reform. In fact, attempts to improve how health care is handled in California date back 100 years." Given this picture of increasing cost, health care inefficiencies, and the uncertainty created in Congress, it is critical that California chart our own path," Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) told the senate appropriations committee last week. He's the author of SB 562, which would create a single-payer system. (Faust, 5/30)
California Healthline:
California’s New Single-Payer Proposal Embraces Some Costly Old Ways
Three of the dirtiest words in health care are “fee for service.” For years, U.S. officials have sought to move Medicare away from paying doctors and hospitals for each task they perform, a costly approach that rewards the quantity of care over quality. State Medicaid programs and private insurers are pursuing similar changes. Yet the $400 billion single-payer proposal that’s advancing in the California legislature would restore fee-for-service to its once-dominant perch in California. (Terhune, 5/31)