Dem candidate for CA Governor: hey, let’s give universal healthcare to illegals!

In the past, we’ve discussed the fact that states like Vermont and California have toyed with the idea of statewide single-payer healthcare. Every time it comes up, it’s promoted, debated, and ultimately abandoned due to the absolutely insane costs involved. The bottom line is the fact that state-specific government run healthcare never works because eventually it’s decided that the cost is simply too high. …But that doesn’t mean the idea is dead.

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If there’s any state that’s willing to prove this won’t work, it’s California. There, the oft-rejected notion has new life thanks to Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. He’s running for Governor, and he’s often argued that the only think stopping single-payer in California is a “lack of leadership.” He, as you might have guessed, would like to be that leadership. If you’re thinking the San Francisco Chronicle has argued the cost would be “catastrophic,” requiring massive tax hikes that would, eventually, be ruinous for the state, you’re right. But hey, who cares? We’re talking about California. It’s not a place where they let reality get in the way of things. In fact, Newsom wants to guarantee universal coverage not just for citizens, but for illegals, too. The folks at Pod Save America recently asked Newsom if he’d try to instate single-payer for the entire state of California if he was elected Governor.

“It needs to be pulled into the governor’s office. The executive needs to lead it. Obamacare would not have happened if it was just exclusively a legislative fiat. That said, Nancy Pelosi did a magical job of organizing it. But it required concerted contributions of the president of the United States. The only way in a state whose population is larger than 163 nations–California’s economy is larger than all but four nations, the fifth largest economy – to approximate a strategy for universal health care is with the support and concurrence of the governor. And that’s frankly not an indictment; it’s just been what’s missing in the past.”

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Later, he added:

“I did universal health care when I was mayor– fully implemented, regardless of pre-existing condition, ability to pay, and regardless of your immigration status. San Francisco is the only universal health care plan for all undocumented residents in America. Very proud of that, and we proved it could be done without bankrupting the city. I’d like to see that we could extend that to the rest of the state.”

That sounds like a yes! So, if you were laboring under the delusion that California’s economic situation wasn’t already unsustainable, we have some very bad news. You’ve got a new reason to be pessimistic.

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