A bill to establish universal healthcare through publicly financed administration was authored by former State Senator Sheila Kuehl as Senate Bill (SB) 840. This was the first single payer bill that a state legislature ever sent to a governor in our nation's history. In fact, SB 840 was passed by the California Senate and Assembly twice, in 2006 and in 2008. However, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill both times.

Senator Kuehl was termed out in 2008. In 2009, Senator Mark Leno introduced
the same bill, which was re-numbered as SB 810.

A copy of SB 810 is available for download bill here.

Available for download is a comprehensive Fact Sheet from former Senator Kuehl's office. Attached to that is a Lewin Group fact sheet. We offer a 10-page Word document about the Features of SB 810. See also a Fact Sheet in Spanish.

Sara Rogers is the principal Senate staff member concerning this bill.

You can download a list of the co-authors for SB 810.

The bill incorporates the following features:

Security - Everyone is covered. No one will ever lose coverage for any reason.

Choice - Everyone can choose their doctors and other providers. Under this single payer plan, health care delivery is in the private sector.

Comprehensive Benefits - Everyone has full benefits that include prescription drug coverage and mental health care.

High Quality - Doctors and patients, not administrators, make medical decisions. Hospitals can afford safe staffing levels for registered nurses. Primary and preventive care are priorities.

Efficient Administration - Huge savings result from removing insurance companies from health care. Provider and patient paper work is slashed.

Fair Cost sharing - Employers and employees pay a modest health care premium, which is less than most pay now.

Fair Reimbursement - Providers receive fair and full compensation for their services.

Cost Controls - Health care inflation is controlled by efficient administration, global health care budgets, bulk purchases of drugs and durable medical equipment, coordination of capital expenditures, and linkage to growth of the State Gross Domestic Product.

Attachments:

factsheet.pdf