California politics updates: $400 billion for single-payer healthcare, audit demanded in election of state Democratic Party chair

[Dashinka 25,898]

A single-payer healthcare system in California — a galvanizing cause among the state's progressive flank — would cost $400 billion annually, according to a legislative analysis released on Monday.

The analysis, released in advance of the proposal's hearing in a key fiscal committee, fills in what has so far been the biggest unanswered question concerning the plan to dramatically overhaul California's healthcare coverage.

The analysis found that the proposal would require:

• A total cost of $400 billion per year to cover all healthcare and administrative costs.
• Of that, $200 billion of existing federal, state and local funds could be repurposed to go toward the single-payer system.
• The additional $200 billion would need to be raised from new taxes.

The analysis proposes one scenario in which a new payroll tax on employers — with a rate of 15% of earned income — could supply the new revenue. But the measure itself does not contain a specific tax proposal, and therefore would not, at this point, need a two-thirds vote to approve a new tax.

 

http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-first-fiscal-analysis-of-single-payer-1495475434-htmlstory.html

 

I loved the part in bold.  I wonder if they will try to pass the law, then sort of blackmail the legislature to vote in the new taxes in a subsequent bill.

[TBoneTX 47,545]

How can the residents of California possibly be taxed any more than they're being taxed now?

[Dashinka 25,898]

1 hour ago, TBoneTX said:

How can the residents of California possibly be taxed any more than they're being taxed now?

I know what you mean.  Isn't this why Vermont dropped its plans for a single payer statewide system?

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

Not patient enough to do the math, but I would bet that between my insurance costs and high deductibles 15% would be at worse break even for me 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

10 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

I know what you mean.  Isn't this why Vermont dropped its plans for a single payer statewide system?

Yes they did. One of the radio shows here in the LA area on KFI which covers a majority of SoCal said that last week. Vermont was the only state that tried this, but they ended up discontinuing it as well. Did you know California has over 14 million people on MediCal which is their form of Medicaid, and over a third of the food stamp recipients of the country come from California. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

11 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

How can the residents of California possibly be taxed any more than they're being taxed now?

What's funny is that General Assembly just passed a bill to raise gas taxes another $5 Billion a YEAR for the roads and bike ways. This is already ON TOP of the gas taxes we are already paying at the pump. The state has passed two constitutional amendments in the past that state would not touch the road money, but they went ahead and did it when they were running a deficit. CalTrans already has a overall budget of $50 Billion a year, so where is that money going to?????

 

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/04/22/the-hidden-costs-of-gas-tax-legislation/

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/sd-fi-california-gastax-20170413-story.html

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-should-california-raise-gas-taxes-to-fix-roads-20170329-htmlstory.html

[TBoneTX 47,545]

Sad at least, arguably pathological.

[Dashinka 25,898]

2 hours ago, cyberfx1024 said:

What's funny is that General Assembly just passed a bill to raise gas taxes another $5 Billion a YEAR for the roads and bike ways. This is already ON TOP of the gas taxes we are already paying at the pump. The state has passed two constitutional amendments in the past that state would not touch the road money, but they went ahead and did it when they were running a deficit. CalTrans already has a overall budget of $50 Billion a year, so where is that money going to?????

 

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/04/22/the-hidden-costs-of-gas-tax-legislation/

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/sd-fi-california-gastax-20170413-story.html

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-should-california-raise-gas-taxes-to-fix-roads-20170329-htmlstory.html

They certainly don't believe Margaret Thatcher when it comes to other people's money.

 

[Póg mo 1,749]

The US spent 17.8% of GDP on health care, where people have a life expectancy of 78.94 years at birth. This compares to 9% of GDP in the UK, where people have a life expectancy of 81.06 years, 11.3% of GDP in Germany, where people have a life expectancy 80.84 years, and 9.4% in Australia, where people have a  life expectancy of 82.25 years. Perhaps socialised health care is not as bad or as inefficient as some people make it out to be? 

 

[Dashinka 25,898]

1 hour ago, Póg mo said:

The US spent 17.8% of GDP on health care, where people have a life expectancy of 78.94 years at birth. This compares to 9% of GDP in the UK, where people have a life expectancy of 81.06 years, 11.3% of GDP in Germany, where people have a life expectancy 80.84 years, and 9.4% in Australia, where people have a  life expectancy of 82.25 years. Perhaps socialised health care is not as bad or as inefficient as some people make it out to be? 

 

So you are saying there is a cause and effect between the percentage of GDP spent on healthcare and life expectancy?  Based on that logic if we spent nothing on healthcare we would live forever.  What is the life expectancy in the Democratic Socialist paradise of Venezuela?

[millefleur 5,052]

2 hours ago, Póg mo said:

The US spent 17.8% of GDP on health care, where people have a life expectancy of 78.94 years at birth. This compares to 9% of GDP in the UK, where people have a life expectancy of 81.06 years, 11.3% of GDP in Germany, where people have a life expectancy 80.84 years, and 9.4% in Australia, where people have a  life expectancy of 82.25 years. Perhaps socialised health care is not as bad or as inefficient as some people make it out to be? 

 

It's easy for the US to spend that much on health care when the prices of pharmaceuticals and services are so inflated beyond belief.

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

It's easy for the US to spend that much on health care when the prices of pharmaceuticals and services are so inflated beyond belief.

Can thank the insurance industry and every industry mandating piece of legislation such as Obamacare. Drives up the cost and forces existing government provided insurance to have to compete with those inflated prices. 

Edited May 24, 2017 by IAMX

[Póg mo 1,749]

5 hours ago, millefleur said:

It's easy for the US to spend that much on health care when the prices of pharmaceuticals and services are so inflated beyond belief.

Of course when Dubya was in office, he signed a bill that made it illegal for Medicare to bargain over prices with pharmaceutical companies. Crazy isn't it?

[Póg mo 1,749]

He here is 

10 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

So you are saying there is a cause and effect between the percentage of GDP spent on healthcare and life expectancy?  Based on that logic if we spent nothing on healthcare we would live forever.  What is the life expectancy in the Democratic Socialist paradise of Venezuela?

All I am really saying is that you can't on the one hand complain about taxation, because it's presumably making people poorer, but completly ignore how outrageously expensive health care.

 

Also the OP ignores the huge savings the average Californian stands to benefit from, if California were to switch to a single payer system.  http://calitics.com/index.php/2017/05/22/single-payer-would-cost-a-third-of-current-health-care-costs-per-family/

[IAMX 3,055]

Even at $400 billion it's way overpriced.. but knowing how California pitches for these things it's likely a conservative estimate to get approval and would only find out after rollout it's likely to be more like 500-800.

 

Can always mea culpa afterwards right? Best to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.