California: The fight for single-payer health care intensifies

 
Update as we go to print: Democratic Assembly Speaker Rendon has put SB 562 on hold, all but ensuring it will not pass the legislature this year. Rendon is one of many Democratic (and Republican) legislators who received large contributions from the health insurance industry, as has Governor Jerry Brown.
SAN JOSE, CA — A thousand people showed up on May 19 in Sacramento to spend the day rallying and lobbying state legislators on behalf of SB 562, the Healthy California Act, which would establish single-payer health care in California. By eliminating the role of insurance companies and setting up a single public fund to pay for health care, enough money would be saved to cover everyone with equal, quality and comprehensive health care, regardless of income, pre-existing conditions, employment or immigration status. A win for single-payer in California would inspire similar action in other states and on the national level, to benefit everyone.
An active grassroots movement has emerged as hundreds of community organizations, unions, small businesses and churches have endorsed the bill. Leading the opposition is Kaiser Permanente, an insurance company and health care provider rolled into one, along with other insurers and corporate health interests.
In this bluest of blue states, with a supermajority of Democrats in both houses of the legislature and Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, passage of SB 562 is far from being a shoo-in. Corporate power is manifesting itself as the bill comes under misleading attacks for being “too expensive” or, more insidiously, “distracting from the fight to save Medi-Cal [Medicaid in California].” The Democratic Party is divided on the issue, with many post-Bernie Sanders formations flexing their muscle against centrist Democrats.
On June 1, SB 562 passed the state senate by a simple majority.
After the legislative visits, several hundred single-payer health care supporters, led by the California Nurses Association, entered the California Democratic Convention chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, corporate Dems have got to go!” Prior to that march Nina Turner, a Bernie supporter and former Ohio state senator, gave a tremendously rousing speech, drawing on her own experience growing up and the death of her mother at age 42 from a brain aneurysm for lack of adequate medical care. Nina quoted Nelson Mandela, who once said “it always seems impossible until it is done,” and exhorted the crowd to do as a woman in labor would do, “give a big push and breathe.”
The People’s Tribune asked some who traveled from San Jose to Sacramento on behalf of SB 562 what motivated them to make the trip. Here are their answers:
Antonio Mora – My kids. My son has Kaiser through work, but it is a bad plan. There’s a limit of $200 a day for hospitalization, which is not enough. My daughter would have a similar problem if she were hospitalized. My grandson is on Medi-Cal and I’m worried about the future of that.
Eulah Tate – My son doesn’t have any insurance, even though he works, but it’s a minimum wage job. If this [bill] passes, maybe he will have access to health care. He doesn’t know if he has any conditions since it has been 10 years since he has been to a doctor.
Concha Rodríguez – The importance of having better medical coverage, and that people know that we have medical attention for everyone. Since I am sick, I need the support of the senators and assembly members, also as they hear the needs of others who came to talk to them – each one has their health problems.