Fogdog
Well-Known Member
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/...37-billion-and-cover-more-people-study-finds/
Universal health plan would save Californians $37 billion and cover more people, study finds
As the California Senate considers voting this week on a proposal to replace private health insurance with a statewide plan that covers everyone, the proposal’s main backers on Wednesday announced it could save $37.5 billion in health care spending — even after adding the state’s nearly 3 million uninsured — according to a new study from economists at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The highly favorable findings — commissioned by the bill’s lead sponsor, an umbrella group for the California Nurses Association — come a week after a Senate committee released eye-popping estimates that threatened to dampen enthusiasm for the bill: that it would cost $400 billion annually, half of which would likely need to come from workers and businesses through a 15 percent payroll tax.
But economists from UMass Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute reached a different conclusion. They estimated that California would save so much by eliminating insurance-company overhead and controlling prescription drug costs, among other measures, that the state’s businesses and families would pay less for health care than they do now.
They estimate it would cost California $331 billion to provide universal health care to everyone living in the state under a single, government-run plan — even less than the $368.5 billion spent today in a system that leaves millions without coverage. To pay for it, they say, the state needs to find $106 billion in annual tax revenue — far less than the Senate committee’s estimate of $200 billion.
“Californians will get more and will definitely pay less,” said Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, the bill’s co-author, at a news conference Wednesday.
The nurses union also hired the Tulchin Research firm to conduct a statewide opinion poll. It found that 70 percent of Californians are in favor of a universal, single-payer health care system — a percentage that dropped to 58 percent after those surveyed heard arguments from the opposition about the cost. The firm surveyed 600 likely voters May 25-29.
Instead of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, Californians would pay the state for their health care through higher taxes — the kind of “big government” idea the state’s Republican minority strongly opposes.
This bill sounds like a really good deal for Californians. To an outsider, I'm surprised it's gotten this far, especially when -- as some people who post here claim -- Democrats are so corrupt and serve only the oligarchs. What do the Californians who post here think about this bill?
As always, right wingers are welcome to post stupid shit. Not really but in the interest of free speech and to keep them from driving to Portland Oregon this weekend, I invite them to sit and shit a while.
Universal health plan would save Californians $37 billion and cover more people, study finds
As the California Senate considers voting this week on a proposal to replace private health insurance with a statewide plan that covers everyone, the proposal’s main backers on Wednesday announced it could save $37.5 billion in health care spending — even after adding the state’s nearly 3 million uninsured — according to a new study from economists at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The highly favorable findings — commissioned by the bill’s lead sponsor, an umbrella group for the California Nurses Association — come a week after a Senate committee released eye-popping estimates that threatened to dampen enthusiasm for the bill: that it would cost $400 billion annually, half of which would likely need to come from workers and businesses through a 15 percent payroll tax.
But economists from UMass Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute reached a different conclusion. They estimated that California would save so much by eliminating insurance-company overhead and controlling prescription drug costs, among other measures, that the state’s businesses and families would pay less for health care than they do now.
They estimate it would cost California $331 billion to provide universal health care to everyone living in the state under a single, government-run plan — even less than the $368.5 billion spent today in a system that leaves millions without coverage. To pay for it, they say, the state needs to find $106 billion in annual tax revenue — far less than the Senate committee’s estimate of $200 billion.
“Californians will get more and will definitely pay less,” said Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, the bill’s co-author, at a news conference Wednesday.
The nurses union also hired the Tulchin Research firm to conduct a statewide opinion poll. It found that 70 percent of Californians are in favor of a universal, single-payer health care system — a percentage that dropped to 58 percent after those surveyed heard arguments from the opposition about the cost. The firm surveyed 600 likely voters May 25-29.
Instead of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, Californians would pay the state for their health care through higher taxes — the kind of “big government” idea the state’s Republican minority strongly opposes.
This bill sounds like a really good deal for Californians. To an outsider, I'm surprised it's gotten this far, especially when -- as some people who post here claim -- Democrats are so corrupt and serve only the oligarchs. What do the Californians who post here think about this bill?
As always, right wingers are welcome to post stupid shit. Not really but in the interest of free speech and to keep them from driving to Portland Oregon this weekend, I invite them to sit and shit a while.
