SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José), released the following statement regarding the passage of AB 2200, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, from the Assembly Health Committee:
“Today’s passage by the Assembly Health Committee is a significant accomplishment and a testament to the movement for single-payer healthcare. I greatly appreciate our bill sponsor, CNA, our broad support coalition, our co-authors, and Health Committee Chair Bonta along with Committee members voting in support. With continued collaboration, California has the opportunity to be a model for the nation on what a progressive alternative to our fragmented, profit-driven status quo can be.
"While there is still a long road ahead to healthcare reform, this major step brings us closer to affirming the fundamental right to healthcare—a right that should not ever be contingent on your job, your wealth, where you live, or where you were born.”
The California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, or AB 2200, would enact a comprehensive framework of governance, benefits, program standards, and health care cost controls for a single-payer health care coverage system in California. This system would be called CalCare, and it would be available to all California residents. By passing this policy framework, California can set in motion consolidation of existing health care programs, obtain necessary federal waivers, and determine public financing.
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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 in southeast 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. Assemblymember Kalra is the Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and also serves as a member on the Housing and Community Development, Local Government, and Natural Resources committees.