I loved Democracy for America’s recent e-mail, sent immediately following Trumpcare’s demise, that pushes for “Medicare for All, a single payer system.” The e-mail mentions a poll showing 60% of Americans want universal health care, then continues:
Embracing universal coverage wouldn't just be the right thing for Democrats to do -- it would be a smart way to win new voters and build the majority we need to defeat Donald Trump, all while remaining true to our values.
While I couldn’t agree more, this is a long-term strategy, with single-payer arriving years from now, if and when Democrats win a whole heap of elections, big and small. It immediately made me think about the possibility of single payer in California, something that could theoretically be achieved much sooner and serve as a model for the rest of the country.
Disheartening, then, to see Jerry Brown’s recent comments on single payer here:
“Where do you get the extra money?” Brown asked in an extended chat with reporters. “This is the whole question. I don’t even get ... how do you do that?”
…
Brown remained deeply skeptical.
“This is called ‘the unknown by means of the more unknown,’” he said. “In other words, you take a problem, and say ‘I am going to solve it by something that’s ... a bigger problem,’ which makes no sense.”
Brown’s usually a straight-shooter, but the comes off a little confusing and pedantic — what I think he’s trying to say is, “when you can’t afford to fix a leak in your roof, you don’t then decide to replace the whole roof.”
So I’m wondering if there are any plans out there about how to fund single payer in California. To my mind, it would be smart to connect some of the revenue generating proposals that have been difficult to pass over the years (Prop. 13 reform, increased taxation on oil production) to single payer, and pass everything as one package. It could be branded as “Tax Reform for Universal Health Care,” or something similar.
The time feels right for thinking big on this, and capitalizing on the increase in support for single payer not just in the long term, but in the short term as well. The latter seems most possible here in California, but Brown has a point — we have to fund it somehow if it’s going to become a reality.