Single Payer
Blog
This Year’s Budget Earns a “Participation Trophy”
It’s amazing what a difference one voter-approved proposition can make. The Legislature is poised again to pass a budget before the June 15 constitutional deadline. Gov. Brown has until June 30 to sign it into law. Budgets used to be a lengthy, messy fight at the Capitol. Back in the ...
Blog
Lieutenant Governor’s Race is a Political Chess Match
Candidates Sen. Ed Hernandez and Eleni Kounalakis One of the most hotly contested races this year is the race for Lieutenant Governor. Gavin Newsom once called the lieutenant governor’s office “a largely ceremonial post . . . with no real authority and no real portfolio.” Of course, that hasn’t stopped ...
Blog
Sacramento Taxes Nearly Everything. Is Drinking Water Next?
Apparently, there’s nothing so sacred nor so ordinary that Sacramento won’t tax it. Possibly next up on the tax table is a first-ever levy on drinking water. During last year’s legislative session, lawmakers proposed through Senate Bill 623 a 95-cent monthly tax on water bills. The revenue, about $200 million, ...
Commentary
Don’t Fall for Single-Payer’s False Promises
Support for single-payer health care has reached an all-time high, according to Gallup. Seven in 10 Democratic voters — and one in three Republicans — favor a government takeover of the health sector. They should be careful what they wish for. Single-payer systems have failed everywhere they’ve been implemented, from ...
Blog
Trump Is Right: The UK’s NHS Is Failing And More Money Won’t Save It
President Trump recently “slammed” socialized medicine on Twitter. He was referring to a massive “NHS in Crisis: Fix It Now” protest that occurred on Feb. 3 in London. As the British might say, the president’s analysis is “spot on.” The United Kingdom’s single-payer system is in turmoil. It’d be foolish to import ...
Commentary
Doctors Who Support Single-Payer Should Seek a Second Opinion
Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t alone in his adoration for universal healthcare. According to one recent survey, 56 percent of U.S. doctors are at least somewhat supportive of government-run healthcare. Their support is somewhat understandable. Every insurer has different administrative requirements, covers different therapies at different levels, and reimburses on a ...
Commentary
God Save The Queen’s Health Care System
On Jan. 23, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hosted an online town hall to promote “Medicare for All.” Over 1 million people tuned in to watch Vermont’s junior senator tout his single-payer plan, which he promised would “guarantee care for all Americans.” His pledge is about as sound as a Venezuelan ...
Blog
For Brits, A Government Mandated New Year’s Resolution?
My husband, Charles Kesler, and I have spent the last several Christmas holidays in London. Each year, the news headlines about the National Health Service (single-payer British style) seem to get worse and worse. I often save the articles to use as fodder for my writings. Here are just a ...
California
Expanding SF Restaurant Surcharge Statewide is a Bad Idea
Dining at a premium San Francisco restaurant will always be expensive. But add in the cost of The City’s health care surcharge and eating out, even at modest and lesser establishments, is even more expensive. What’s more, one gubernatorial candidate wants to expand the program that requires the surcharge to ...
Commentary
Single-Payer Health Care Means You Might Be Denied Surgery for Being Too Fat — No, Really
Do people who are overweight or obese deserve health care? In the United Kingdom’s socialized health care system, the answer appears to be “no.” And if Democrats get their way, the same could be true in the United States. To save money, the U.K. National Health Service recently announced it ...
This Year’s Budget Earns a “Participation Trophy”
It’s amazing what a difference one voter-approved proposition can make. The Legislature is poised again to pass a budget before the June 15 constitutional deadline. Gov. Brown has until June 30 to sign it into law. Budgets used to be a lengthy, messy fight at the Capitol. Back in the ...
Lieutenant Governor’s Race is a Political Chess Match
Candidates Sen. Ed Hernandez and Eleni Kounalakis One of the most hotly contested races this year is the race for Lieutenant Governor. Gavin Newsom once called the lieutenant governor’s office “a largely ceremonial post . . . with no real authority and no real portfolio.” Of course, that hasn’t stopped ...
Sacramento Taxes Nearly Everything. Is Drinking Water Next?
Apparently, there’s nothing so sacred nor so ordinary that Sacramento won’t tax it. Possibly next up on the tax table is a first-ever levy on drinking water. During last year’s legislative session, lawmakers proposed through Senate Bill 623 a 95-cent monthly tax on water bills. The revenue, about $200 million, ...
Don’t Fall for Single-Payer’s False Promises
Support for single-payer health care has reached an all-time high, according to Gallup. Seven in 10 Democratic voters — and one in three Republicans — favor a government takeover of the health sector. They should be careful what they wish for. Single-payer systems have failed everywhere they’ve been implemented, from ...
Trump Is Right: The UK’s NHS Is Failing And More Money Won’t Save It
President Trump recently “slammed” socialized medicine on Twitter. He was referring to a massive “NHS in Crisis: Fix It Now” protest that occurred on Feb. 3 in London. As the British might say, the president’s analysis is “spot on.” The United Kingdom’s single-payer system is in turmoil. It’d be foolish to import ...
Doctors Who Support Single-Payer Should Seek a Second Opinion
Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t alone in his adoration for universal healthcare. According to one recent survey, 56 percent of U.S. doctors are at least somewhat supportive of government-run healthcare. Their support is somewhat understandable. Every insurer has different administrative requirements, covers different therapies at different levels, and reimburses on a ...
God Save The Queen’s Health Care System
On Jan. 23, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hosted an online town hall to promote “Medicare for All.” Over 1 million people tuned in to watch Vermont’s junior senator tout his single-payer plan, which he promised would “guarantee care for all Americans.” His pledge is about as sound as a Venezuelan ...
For Brits, A Government Mandated New Year’s Resolution?
My husband, Charles Kesler, and I have spent the last several Christmas holidays in London. Each year, the news headlines about the National Health Service (single-payer British style) seem to get worse and worse. I often save the articles to use as fodder for my writings. Here are just a ...
Expanding SF Restaurant Surcharge Statewide is a Bad Idea
Dining at a premium San Francisco restaurant will always be expensive. But add in the cost of The City’s health care surcharge and eating out, even at modest and lesser establishments, is even more expensive. What’s more, one gubernatorial candidate wants to expand the program that requires the surcharge to ...
Single-Payer Health Care Means You Might Be Denied Surgery for Being Too Fat — No, Really
Do people who are overweight or obese deserve health care? In the United Kingdom’s socialized health care system, the answer appears to be “no.” And if Democrats get their way, the same could be true in the United States. To save money, the U.K. National Health Service recently announced it ...
