Sunday, February 26, 2017

With Obamacare in Jeopardy, California Considers Going It Alone With ‘Single-Payer’ System

With President Trump now vowing to put forward a replacement for the Affordable Care Act in March, some California politicians and healthcare advocates are once again promoting the idea of a state-run “single-payer” system that operates like Medicare.

Michelle Klein-Hass, who lives in Panorama City, was newly insured under Medi-Cal when Obamacare expanded it in 2014, and is also a supporter of a single-payer system. (Credit: Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Michelle Klein-Hass, who lives in Panorama City, was newly insured under Medi-Cal when Obamacare expanded it in 2014, and is also a supporter of a single-payer system. (Credit: Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Backers say the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s promise to repeal Obamacare presents California with a chance to rethink how healthcare is delivered to its 39 million residents.

“Why wouldn’t we take this as an opportunity to create what we want in California?” Dr. Mitch Katz, head of L.A. County’s health department, said at a conference in December. He mentioned a single-payer system as a possible solution.

Other suggestions for how California can capitalize on the threat to Obamacare include creating a public option, a state-run health plan to sell on the state’s insurance exchange, and mimicking how Massachusetts provided universal healthcare.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.



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