Protect California Health Care

Protect Our Health Care

Now more than ever, California needs a stable, reliable health care system.

Instead, single payer puts the care that millions rely on at risk.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATORS SHOULD REJECT SINGLE PAYER PROPOSALS.

California is close to achieving universal health care coverage. Instead of building on this progress, single payer is a sweeping and unnecessary overhaul of our entire health care system.

Single payer would upend health care for nearly 40 million Californians. It would force patients and families out of their existing coverage and into a single, untested government-run program, eliminating their choice to opt-out and disrupting access to trusted doctors.

Single payer systems face persistent challenges, including longer wait times, increased nursing workloads, strained workforces and chronic funding shortfalls. All these factors put timely access to care at risk.

Estimated to cost hundreds of billions annually, single payer would require the largest tax increase in state history. Implementing single payer would also rely on reallocating billions in federal funding each year – a process that is highly uncertain and could be withdrawn by future administrations.

Californians need a health care system that is stable, reliable, and builds on the state’s progress – not one that risks widespread disruption and uncertainty.

Single Payer: Costly, Risky and Disruptive

Single payer is not “free health care.” The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) estimates it would cost $494 billion – $552 billion annually – nearly double California’s entire state budget. That price tag would require the largest tax increase in state history, driving up costs for families and businesses already under pressure.

Implementing single payer depends on massive, highly uncertain federal funding. The LAO has noted that shifting to a single payer system will require federal approval to redirect $239 billion – $260 billion annually from Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other programs – waivers that can be rejected or reversed by the federal government. Without stable, guaranteed funding, California would be exposed to significant financial risk.

Shifting to a system of this scale would be deeply disruptive. Nearly 40 million Californians would be forced into a new government-run program with no ability to opt-out, upending existing coverage and provider relationships. Single payer systems have been documented to increase nursing workloads, reduce access to care and prolong wait times.

Californians Overwhelmingly Oppose Single Payer

Californians support building on the health care progress the state has made, not replacing it with a costly and disruptive single payer overhaul. Recent polling demonstrates voters value stability, choice, and a health care system that works for diverse needs across the state.

0 %

Satisfied with the Health Care They & Their Families Have Today

0 %

Oppose Eliminating Private Insurance

0 %

Support Maintaining a Mix of Public & Private Coverage

Single payer is costly, disruptive, and risks undoing the state’s historic gains in expanding access to care.

Legislators should reject single payer proposals and focus on solutions that improve affordability without sacrificing stability or choice.

Single payer is costly, disruptive, and risks undoing the state’s historic gains in expanding access to care.

Legislators should reject single payer proposals and focus on solutions that improve affordability without sacrificing stability or choice.