SACRAMENTO – With SB 770 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) advancing to the Assembly and scheduled to be heard in Assembly Health Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, June 27th, Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José) releases the following statement announcing his opposition to the bill:
“After a hard fought two-year session for AB 1400, in collaboration with CNA, we committed to engage the community and legislators this year to move the needle toward single-payer next year. Unfortunately, SB 770, as in print, would only delay and detract from that effort and I respectfully must oppose the bill.
“We know that single-payer is a cost-effective and accessible healthcare delivery system and that California needs to pass a policy framework before we can apply for waivers from the federal government. The Governor's Healthy California for All Commission just studied and reported on this very issue and was supportive of a unified financing system. Another 17-person appointed workgroup is not needed to come to this same understanding. Advanced discussions can be helpful, but, nothing stops legislators or the Administration from having those conversations now. It remains clear that we first need to establish the policy and then it will be productive to turn our attention to an in-depth waiver conversation.
“Every year we push single-payer back we subject more and more people to our broken healthcare system, riddled with high costs and poor outcomes. With an estimated 3.2 million Californians without insurance and many more underinsured, we cannot accept unnecessary delays in health care reform.
“I respect and appreciate the author and the organizations that make up the coalition putting forth SB 770. However, we remain in fundamental disagreement with the consequences of the bill on the success of a single-payer policy bill in 2024. I remain single-minded for single-payer and will continue to advocate and support policies that will effectuate the institutional change that is so urgently needed.”
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Assemblymember Ash Kalra represents California’s 25th Assembly District, which encompasses the majority of San José, including downtown and open space areas northeast of Santa Clara County. He was first elected in 2016, becoming the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history, and was re-elected to his fourth term in 2022. As a longstanding supporter of a single-payer health care system, Assemblymember Kalra previously introduced AB 1400–the statewide legislation also known as CalCare–which would guarantee comprehensive, high-quality health care for all Californians as a human right. Assemblymember Kalra is the Chair of the Committee on Labor and Employment and also serves as a member on the Housing and Community Development, Judiciary, Transportation, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife committees.