Single Payer Health Care (Duncan, 9/9/2020)

Great thanks to Dr. Parker Duncan who gave a passionate presentation on Single Payer Health Care on his very own birthday! Dr. Duncan started with three foundational premises (which he called his disclosures). The beliefs that:

1) Health care is a human right.

2) The barriers to achieving single payer health care in the US are rooted in struggles with racism and inequality (not simply the money).

3) Thus, before health care for all, first make sure Black Lives Matter.

Dr. Duncan also introduced us to the three phases of A Road Map to Golden State Care,  a comprehensive plan written by the California Physician's Alliance (CaPA), which lays out strategic steps to get California to universal coverage and an equitable health care system. 

Phase 1 involves a focus on cost control measures (making the state the sole prescription drug/DME purchaser as well as creating an all payer claims database), establishing something called the Golden State Care and Trust Fund (GSCTF), and improving Medi-Cal, which is already California's largest insurer.

Phase II creates a Medi-Cal buy-in via Covered California (a public option) as well as all-payer rate setting via Golden State Care.

and

Phase III involves transitioning to a true GSCTF which includes a 95/5% mandate (that is 5% cap on administrative spending) vs. non-profit insurance managers

An info-graphic of the strategic plan is seen below. The road map, published in 2019, can be found here in its entirety. 

Dr. Duncan shared some of the current bills that have passed and/or are moving through CA legislature-- essentially incrementally changing our system. These include SB-104 (signed into law 7/2019), which expanded Medi-Cal to undocumented adults ages 19-25 "who are otherwise eligible for these benefits but for their immigration status", expanded pregnancy Medi-Cal for maternal mental health conditions, and established the founding of a Health CA for all Coalition.

There are other bills making their way through the CA Legislature including cost containment bills and additional bills to expand Medi-Cal to undocumented seniors. For more information on legislative issues. Dr Duncan recommends you go to this resource: Health Access, California's Health Consumer Advocacy Coalition

Also, consider signing up for daily emails with health policy updates here: PNHP Qote of the Day, written by Dr. Don McCanne. 

Another excellent health policy resource that is politically neutral and very well researched and reported is the Kaiser Family Foundation.