Report: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom Working On Statewide Universal Health Care Plan
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is working on a statewide universal health care program that he plans to unveil in the course of his campaign for the California governorship, according to a report Monday.
The plan would be based on Healthy San Francisco, a universal health care program Newsom launched while serving as San Francisco's mayor in 2007, the Sacramento Bee reports. It would also seek to expand on certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
Newsom is among the candidates running to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown after next year's election. His challengers include state treasurer John Chiang and former LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
"I believe what we did in San Francisco can and should be replicated far and wide," Newsom told the Sacramento Bee. "I'm enthusiastic about it. We were working on it before Trump, but now there's an imperative."
The Healthy San Francisco program helps city residents pay for health care and focuses on preventative care to keep costs down, according to the Bee. The program includes a citywide public insurance option.
Newsom is reportedly working on his plan with Mitch Katz, the head of LA County's Department of Health Services. Katz was an architect of the Healthy San Francisco plan.
"I think that it's inevitable in this country that, after all the trials and errors, we find ourselves face-to-face with a Medicare-for-all conversation," Newsom told the Bee. "That's what we are pursuing."
A separate effort to create a statewide single-payer system is underway in the state senate.