Healthy California Act Would Eliminate Medicare, Medi-Cal and ObamaCare in California

Californians, especially California's Senior 65+ population currently receiving Medicare benefits, may want to take note of provisions in the newly released Healthy California Bill (SB 562).

Section 1 of the Act (formerly Section 2) clearly spells out the following impacts (italics are mine)...

• (6) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish a comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage program and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state.
• (b) (1) It is further the intent of the Legislature to establish the Healthy California (HC) program to provide universal health coverage for every Californian based on his or her ability to pay and funded by broad-based revenue.
• (2) It is the intent of the Legislature for the state to work to obtain waivers and other approvals relating to Medi-Cal, the state�s Children�s Health Insurance Program, Medicare, the PPACA, and any other federal programs so that any federal funds and other subsidies that would otherwise be paid to the State of California, Californians, and health care providers would be paid by the federal government to the State of California and deposited in the Healthy California Trust Fund.
• (3) Under those waivers and approvals, those funds would be used for health coverage that provides health benefits equal to or exceeded by those programs as well as other program modifications, including elimination of cost sharing and insurance premiums.
• (4) Those programs would be replaced and merged into the HC program, which will operate as a true single-payer program.
• (5) If any necessary waivers or approvals are not obtained, it is the intent of the Legislature that the state use state plan amendments and seek waivers and approvals to maximize, and make as seamless as possible, the use of federally matched public health programs and federal health programs in the HC program.
• (6) Thus, even if other programs such as Medi-Cal or Medicare may contribute to paying for care, it is the goal of this act that the coverage be delivered by the HC program, and, as much as possible, that the multiple sources of funding be pooled with other HC program funds and not be apparent to HC program members or participating providers.
• (c) This act does not create any employment benefit, nor does it require, prohibit, or limit the providing of any employment benefit.

Item 4 specifies that Medi-Cal CHIP, PPACA (ObamaCare or future TrumpCare) and Medicare would be replaced and merged into the Healthy California Plan.

Item 5 outlines a plan of state action in the event (highly likely) that California cannot obtain necessary waivers from the federal government (see SB 10)

Item 6 is a bit disconcerting.  "[that] the multiple sources of funding be pooled with other HC program funds and not be apparent to HC program members or participating providers".  

It appears that the Healthy California Act (SB 562) would corral every California resident not covered by an employer health plan and place them on a single payer state-run health plan to include Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older.  

Read the full text of SB 562 

Dave
www.davefluker.com
www.gilroyhealthinsurance.com
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