Single-Payer Rises From The Ashes Once More In California
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has announced that a special committee will hold hearings on the issue this fall.
San Jose Mercury News:
Single Payer: California Lawmakers To Hold Hearings On Universal Health Care
After the swift rise and sudden crash of California’s ambitious single-payer legislation, complete with melodramatic fallout, universal health care is back — not on the floor, but on the table. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-South Gate — who in June famously blocked Senate Bill 562 from advancing in his chamber, calling the proposal “woefully incomplete” — announced on Thursday that a special committee would hold hearings on universal health care this fall, after the legislative session ends on Sept. 15. (Murphy, 8/24)
Capital Public Radio:
Rendon Sets Assembly Hearings On Universal Health Care
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has laid out a path forward for universal health care legislation – but not the single-payer bill he sidelined earlier this year. On Thursday, Rendon (D-Lakewood) announced a special committee would hold hearings this fall to develop legislation. (Adler, 8/24)
Sacramento Bee:
Time To Get Serious About ‘Health Care For All,’ Says California Assembly Leader Who Blocked It Before
Rendon has been under fire from the California Nurses Association and supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for refusing to bring Senate Bill 562 to the Assembly floor earlier this year. The bill, by state Sens. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, sought to reorganize California’s health care financing under a government-run system operated by the state. Known as single-payer health care, the approach would eliminate the need for insurance companies. There would be no copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs. (Hart, 8/24)
Politico Pro:
California Lawmaker To Hold Hearings On Universal Health Care
"I have called for these hearings to determine what approach best gets us there — what gets us to ‘yes’ when it comes to health care for all,” Rendon said in Thursday's statement. No dates have been set, but the hearings will be held after Sept. 15, the last day for bills to be passed and the beginning of California's legislative interim. (Colliver, 8/24)
KPCC:
Rendon Restarts California Single-Payer Debate, Critics Unimpressed
Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), the bill’s champion in the state Senate, applauded Rendon’s announcement. Representatives from the California Nurses Association, the bill’s sponsor, didn’t share in his celebration. "Let’s be clear. He subverted the democratic process," Bonnie Castillo, associate executive director of the nurse’s union, said of Rendon. She called Thursday's announcement a "political stunt." (Faust, 8/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Who Shelved Single-Payer Measure, Announces Hearings To Study Universal Coverage
Nearly two months after shelving a single-payer healthcare measure earlier this summer — stirring activists' rage and a fledgling recall effort against him — Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) announced plans Thursday to hold hearings to discuss universal healthcare in California. The hearings, which will be held during the legislative interim that begins after Sept. 15, mark an attempt to redirect the energy around healthcare overhaul from a single bill, SB 562, to a broader conversation about ways to expand healthcare coverage in the state. (Mason, 8/24)