MENDOCINO Co., 6/27/17 — Last Friday a proposal to create a system of single payer health care for California died in the legislature when Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon held the bill in committee. The bill had been hotly debated, not just in California, but across the country.
Here is the North Coast’s assemblyman, Jim Wood’s, statement on the bill and his thoughts on Rendon’s decision:
Assemblymember Jim Wood Statement on Healthy California Act Proposal Being Held in Assembly
SACRAMENTO—On Friday, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon held SB 562, a bill to create a single payer health care system in California, in the Assembly Rules Committee until further notice and Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, provides the following statement:
“I respect and support Speaker Rendon’s leadership decision to hold SB 562. He had an extremely difficult decision to make, but knew that we were all faced with how to move a bill forward with so many unanswered questions such as financing, delivery of care and costs controls.”
“California has always been a leader in the nation and tackles difficult issues with innovative thinking. Health care for all represents the values of who we are as a state. Senators Ricardo Lara and Toni Atkins, the authors of SB 562, took on a huge challenge, especially given the current turmoil surrounding health care in Washington, DC. We need to recognize the tremendous commitment and work they put into SB 562, and that work absolutely needs to continue.”
“We currently depend on hundreds of billions of dollars in local, state and federal funds to support the health care system we have today. And we have painstakingly watched the daily roller coaster ride of the repeal and replace proposals coming out of the Republican-controlled Congress, and have no idea what amount of federal funding will eventually be made available to us.”
“In SB 562, the Senate has provided a framework for transforming the health care system in California and now they will have the time to address those unanswered questions so that the bill can receive in-depth discussion and a thoughtful analysis by the Assembly. The bill can still move through the process next year once these questions have been answered.”
“As a health care provider, making sure all Californians get the care they need is near and dear to me, and I look forward to working with the Senate as they continue to address the issues and funding challenges that remain in the current version of SB 562.
“Providing health care to all Californians is critical–we just need to take the time to find the right path to get there.”
