State of California Archives: on Health Care
Kevin Mullin:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.Status: Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; State Rep. Kevin Mullin voted YES; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013.
Source: California legislative voting records: ABX1-1
Jun 15, 2013
Adam Gray:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.Status: Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; State Rep. Adam Gray voted YES; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013.
Source: California legislative voting records: ABX1-1
Jun 15, 2013
Alan Lowenthal:
KeepObamaCare; require purchasing insurance
Q: Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act?A: No.
Q: Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
A: Yes.
Source: California Congressional 2012 Political Courage Test
Oct 30, 2012
Alex Padilla:
2006: Fought for universal health care
In 2006, Alex was elected to the State Senate. He fought for universal health care, stopping tobacco sales to minors,
fighting diabetes and obesity, expanding patient protections and improving food safety.
Source: 2022 California Senate campaign website Alex-Padilla.com
Dec 23, 2020
Alex Padilla:
We've got to better support our health care infrastructure
I'm going to be quickly advocating for not just additional direct assistance to families, direct assistance to state and local governments, including school districts but not excluding--or exclusive to school districts. We've got to better support our
health care infrastructure. Again, you see doctors, nurses, hospitals, community clinics beyond capacity they were built for. We have a lot more support to do to weather the pandemic and then begin to rebuild the economy.
Source: Washington Post on 2022 California Senate race
Mar 23, 2021
Amy Coney Barrett:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Antonio Villaraigosa:
Healthcare.gov problems caused loss of confidence in Feds
The diversion over the troubled healthcare law has enabled House Republicans to avoid divisive debate on the bipartisan immigration bill passed by the Senate in the summer.
Doubts, meanwhile, are mounting about the administration's competence to manage the complexity of a reformed immigration system, given the problems with the healthcare law. "There's a loss of confidence in the government's ability," former
Los Angeles Major Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat and proponent of the immigration reform bill, said at an event this month.
"Clearly, the last few months, our experience with [the] Affordable Care Act does not help when you look at other big things like immigration reform."
Source: NewsMax.com on 2014 California Governor race
Dec 17, 2013
Bill Jones:
Lawsuit abuse is responsible for health care costs
Lawsuit abuse in America is out of control. It’s causing health care costs to skyrocket and putting doctors out of business. While we lose, the trial lawyers cash in and liberal judges turn a blind-eye.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website JonesForCalifornia.com “Issues”
May 2, 2004
Delaine Eastin:
Provide universal healthcare for all
Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. California is the sixth largest economy in the world.
We need to ensure universal healthcare for everyone in our state regardless of what happens in Washington D.C.
Source: 2018 California Gubernatorial website DelaineForGovernor.com
Sep 1, 2017
Brett Kavanaugh:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Brian Dahle:
Strengthen our rehabilitation and mental health services
- The ISSUE: California makes up 29% of the homeless in the entire country while only being 12% of the nation's total population.
- The TRUTH: Without dealing with mental health issues, drug addiction, and rising housing prices, we will
find more people on the street.
- The PLAN: Do an audit to determine what programs are working and which ones are not. Strengthen our rehabilitation and mental health services. Remove the barriers to building affordable housing.
Source: 2022 California Governor campaign website BrianDahle.com
Feb 21, 2022
Brian Dahle:
Voted NO on expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27, 2013. (Brian Dahle voted NAY).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Clarence Thomas:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Connie Conway:
Voted NO on expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Legislative Outcome:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27, 2013. (Connie Conway voted NAY).
Source: California legislative voting records: ABX1-1
Jun 15, 2013
Duf Sundheim:
Some aspects of ObamaCare ok, but rest is a boondoggle
Sundheim supports the popular components of ObamaCare, such as forcing insurers to provide coverage to
Americans with pre-existing medical conditions, but otherwise thinks the law is a boondoggle that needs major surgery.
Source: Washington Examiner on 2016 California Senate race
Jun 4, 2015
Elena Kagan:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Gavin Newsom:
Supports HealthySF: available to all uninsured residents
He's even prouder of the HealthySF program that makes health insurance available to all uninsured residents of the city,
without regard to their immigration status. "You can get an insurance card and get care and you pay on the basis of income," he said. "It's unique in America."
Source: The Union on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Jul 31, 2017
Gavin Newsom:
We will lead a massive expansion of health care
As the most populous state and the country's biggest economy, Newsom's actions carry outsize weight--and are guaranteed outsize publicity.Consider the national attention it garnered when Newsom signed an executive order in March halting executions--
sparing 737 people on California's death row. Witness the proclamation his office wrote last month "welcoming women to California to fully exercise their reproductive rights" after a wave of conservative states took steps to limit abortion.
Newsom is outspoken on immigration, traveling to El Salvador earlier this year in his first international trip as governor.
"We're going to get it,''
Newsom insists. "We're committed to universal health care. Universal health care means everybody--We will lead a massive expansion of health care, and that's a major deviation from the past.''
Source: Politico.com on 2018 California Gubernatorial race
Jun 17, 2019
Gavin Newsom:
CalAIM: physical health & mental health inextricably linked
This year, we have proposed CalAIM, a once-in-a-generation reform of our Medi-Cal system, based on the obvious, but long-ignored principle, that physical health and brain health are inextricably linked. Health care and housing can no longer be divorced.
After all, what's more fundamental to a person's well-being than a roof over their head? Doctors should be able to write prescriptions for housing the same way they do for insulin or antibiotics.
Policy is an empty promise without creating more placements. One clear opportunity to do this is by reforming the Mental Health Services Act. Reform must focus funding on street homeless, at-risk and foster youth, and those involved in the criminal
justice system. We should compel counties to spend more by lowering the 33% reserve threshold they are allowed to hold back. My message is this: spend your mental health dollars by June 30th, or we'll make sure they get spent for you.
Source: 2020 California State of the State address
Feb 19, 2020
Gavin Newsom:
COVID: Science--not politics--drove our decisions
We made the incredibly difficult decision to issue a stay home order to slow the spread. We agonized about the sacrifices it would require. But we made sure that science--not politics--drove our decisions. And as experts like Dr. Fauci said, it
was the right thing to do.People are alive today because of the public health decisions we made--lives saved because of your sacrifice. Even so, I acknowledge it's made life hard and unpredictable, and you're exhausted with all of it.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to California legislature
Mar 9, 2021
Gavin Newsom:
First state to offer universal access to healthcare
Create Universal Access to Healthcare Coverage: Governor Newsom's Blueprint will make California the first state in the
nation to offer universal access to healthcare coverage for all state residents, regardless of immigration status.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to California legislature
Feb 10, 2022
Gavin Newsom:
Proposed Health For All, regardless of immigration status
More new business starts during the worst of the pandemic than Texas and Florida combined. You know what makes us different than those states? It's that, as our businesses grow, we don't leave our workers behind. We raised the minimum wage. We increased
paid sick leave. Provided more paid family leave. Expanded child care to help working parents. And this year, with your support, we will do something no other state in America has done--provide Health For All, regardless of immigration status.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to California legislature
Mar 8, 2022
Gavin Newsom:
Expanded health care to millions of uninsured Californians
Newsom is hitting the airwaves to tout his health care accomplishments. He is crowing about expanding health care coverage to millions of previously uninsured
Californians--a holy grail issue for Democrats agitating for universal health care--and California's attempt to force down drug prices by entering the generic drug market.
Source: Fortune magazine on 2022 California Gubernatorial race
Jul 19, 2022
Gloria La Riva:
Healthcare is a right; create single-payer system
Q: Do you support a publicly-administered health insurance option?Yes.
Q: Should the federal government expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts?
No.
Q: Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be
collected in malpractice lawsuits?
No.
Q: Do you support relaxing regulations on the importation of prescription drugs?
Yes.
La Riva adds, "I believe access to healthcare is a right. We should have single-payer healthcare available for all."
Source: California Congressional 2010 Political Courage Test
Nov 1, 2010
James Bradley:
Remove excess red tape; price controls on Big Pharma
HEALTHCARE- Encourage open inter-state competition
- Offer alternative healthcare choice and therapeutics including using one's own stem cells
- Allow alternative healthcare choice and therapeutics without unnecessary self-protective AMA and FDA
regulations and interference
- Price controls and accountability on big pharma
-
Medicare/Medicaid: Reform the broken system and remove excessive redtape and departments. increase the budget and putting the money into increase benefits and lower deductibles
- Open access to more medical providers with higher reimbursements
- Streamline FDA clinical trials reducing red tape
- Price controls on big pharma
- Open formulary to futuristic therapies to deal with chronic diseases. many new therapies eliminate redundant procedures
Source: 2021 California Senate campaign website BradleySenate.com
Jun 29, 2021
James Bradley:
Opposes taxpayer funding for transgender minors
HEALTHCARE- Encourage open inter-state competition
- No taxpayer funds for puberty blockers, body mutilating, hormone therapy, gender reassignments or government programs for minors
- Restore your rights to choose by removing mandates.
repeal forced vaccinations or no school
- Offer alternative healthcare choice and therapeutics including using one's own stem cells
- Doctor / patient information must remain private as stated in the Hippocratic oath
Source: 2021 California Senate campaign website BradleySenate.com
Jun 29, 2021
Jerry Brown:
Insurance companies must cover maternity leave & services
Healthy mothers mean healthy babies. I want the next generation of Californians to get the best possible start in life.
The bills I signed today require that insurance companies cover maternity services for pregnant women and ensures that mothers who take maternity leave no longer have to fear losing their medical coverage.
Source: California 2011 gubernatorial press release #17261
Oct 6, 2011
Jerry Brown:
Get started on ObamaCare, then expand Medi-Cal
California was the first in the nation to pass laws to implement President Obama's historic Affordable Care Act. Our health benefit exchange, called Covered California, will begin next year providing insurance to nearly one million Californians.
Over the rest of this decade, California will steadily reduce the number of the uninsured.
Today I am calling for a special session to deal with those issues that must be decided quickly if California is to get the Affordable Care Act started by next January. The broader expansion of Medi-Cal that the Act calls for is incredibly complex
and will take more time. Working out the right relationship with the counties will test our ingenuity and will not be achieved overnight. Given the costs involved, great prudence should guide every step of the way.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to California Legislature
Jan 24, 2013
Jerry Brown:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013.
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 27, 2013
Jerry Brown:
ACA wholeheartedly embraced in CA
We have wholeheartedly embraced the Affordable Care Act. We are now enrolling 13.5 million Californians in Medi-Cal and another 1.5 million in Covered California.
While the benefits of these programs are enormous, so too are the costs--both now and into the future.
In four years, total Medi-Cal costs have grown by $23 billion. As the state begins to pay for its share of the millions of new enrollees, the cost to the General Fund will also rise.
In 2012, the General Fund paid $15 billion for Medi-Cal, but by 2019, that number is expected to be $25 billion, an increase of two-thirds.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to California legislature
Jan 21, 2016
Kamala Harris:
Require pharmaceutical companies to allow generics
She filed a friend-of-the-court brief signed by thirty-one other state attorneys general in 2011 in a
Supreme Court case looking to end the practice of drug companies paying competitors to keep generic versions of their drugs off the market.
Source: Jacobin Magazine on 2018 California Senate race
Aug 10, 2017
Jimmy Gomez:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013. (Gomez voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Joe Biden:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
Vox.com summary:The CA v. TX case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress
amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that
no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing.
Biden in Reuters:"A big win for the American people," President Joe Biden, whose administration opposed the lawsuit, wrote in a Twitter post, adding that
millions of people rely upon the law for healthcare coverage while encouraging others to sign up. Biden has pledged to expand healthcare access and buttress ObamaCare. Biden had criticized Republican efforts to strike down the law during a pandemic.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
John Chiang:
Fix Obamacare instead of repeal
Chiang said the ACA isn't perfect, but has contributed to a job boom and 4 million Californians gained health care coverage under Obamacare. "97 percent of kids in California have coverage now," he said.
Chiang suggested fixing the ACA's weaknesses rather than "having a dramatic pullback," he said. "Everyday Californians, they're very, very scared."
Source: Orange County Register on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Jun 23, 2017
John Cox:
Public-private partnership to get vaccinations done
Getting our at-risk populations vaccinated requires a private-public partnership between the state and pharmacies. There are over 8,000 pharmacies in California. Let's use them effectively to rapidly vaccinate our population and remove barriers
to getting those vaccines out to the people who need them. That requires the state to remove some of the red tape so that we can expand the number of doctors and nurses who can provide these shots.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune on 2021 California recall race
Feb 12, 2021
John Roberts:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Kamala Harris:
Companies should provide contraception under ObamaCare
Kamala Harris is attacking company owners whose religious beliefs may be at odds with stipulations found in ObamaCare. Harris' office filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to review whether businesses can be exempt from providing contraception coverage.
Specifically, she's attacking businesses where owners may disagree with specific contraception types for religious reasons:"Under the ACA, all Americans have the right to access affordable, quality healthcare, including contraception.
For-profit companies should not be able to deny women access to healthcare based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The 10th circuit ruling should be reversed by the US Supreme Court."
The list of ObamaCare exemptions includes one on
religion: anyone who is "conscientiously opposed to accepting any insurance benefits," which some say includes Muslim groups. This portion of the law was apparently written specifically for the Amish, but it may play a role in the fight over ObamaCare.
Source: Inquisitr.com coverage of 2015 California Senate race
Nov 26, 2013
Kevin de Leon:
For health care to be accessible, it must be affordable
In my district, the emergency room at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center is unfortunately the primary health care provider for many of my constituents.
We need to keep in mind that many working families struggle everyday to pay for their rent, utilities, and other necessities--in order for health care to be truly accessible, it must also be affordable.
Source: 2018 California Senate campaign website KevinDeLeon.com
Jan 1, 2018
Kevin de Leon:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,˜2013. (de Leon voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Mark DeSaulnier:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27, 2013. (DeSaulnier voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Mark Meuser:
COVID isolation policy caused poor job market & inflation
[Letters posted on Twitter]: Dear Gavin,I appreciate your concern for Californians struggling to make ends meet with record inflation, gas prices, and a poor job market (which you caused with your COVID policies).
But government spending is what
has caused record inflation in the first place.
Your 'solution' will only make the problem worse. Your 'solution' doesn't get to the causes of inflation.
When I am elected to the U.S. Senate, I will start working on the root causes right away.
I will stop the reckless government spending.
Dear Dr. Fauci and Gavin Newsom,
Your policies during #covid where people were isolated not because of health status but based on your determination of how essential their
occupation was not only violated their Due Process rights but it also contradicted the science.
Follow the science should not be a sound bite, it should actually be the guiding principle of a governor and public health official.
Source: 2022 California Senate campaign website MarkMeuser.com
Jun 12, 2022
Mark Meuser:
Won't comment on publicly was his vaccination status
One thing Meuser wouldn't comment on publicly was his vaccination
status. "That is something that is between me and my doctor and nobody else's business," he said.
Source: KPIX-5 News on 2022 California Senate race
Jun 3, 2022
Michael Eisen:
Gutting Obamacare leaves those in need without healthcare
Paul Ryan's Tweet: Meet Cindy: a single mom, making $30,000 per year, who hopes to one day get beyond living paycheck to paycheck. With a $700 increase in her tax refund each year under our tax bill, Cindy can start saving for her future.
Eisen's response: Until her daughter gets diabetes. Then the fact that you gutted Obamacare, leaving Cindy and her daughter without health insurance, forces her to sell her kidney to buy insulin.
Source: Twitter posting on 2018 California Senate race
Nov 19, 2017
Michael Eisen:
Gutting ObamaCare leaves people without health insurance
Paul Ryan's Tweet: Meet Cindy: a single mom, making $30,000 per year, who hopes to one day get beyond living paycheck to paycheck. With a $700 increase in her tax refund each year under our tax bill, Cindy can start saving for her future.
Eisen's response: Until her daughter gets diabetes. Then the fact that you gutted ObamaCare, leaving Cindy and her daughter without health insurance, forces her to sell her kidney to buy insulin.
Source: Twitter posting on 2018 California Senate race
Nov 19, 2017
Mimi Walters:
ObamaCare is a takeover of our health care system
The Obama administration's takeover of our health care system was wrong and
I will work to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with market-based reforms that protect patient choice, keep costs down and preserve the greatest health system in the world.
Source: 2014 California House campaign website, MimiWalters.com
Oct 10, 2014
Mimi Walters:
Voted NO on expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27, 2013. (Mimi Walters voted NAY).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Nancy Pelosi:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
Vox.com summary:The CA v. TX case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress
amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that
no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing.
Pelosi in Reuters:House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the ruling a "landmark victory for Democrats' work to defend protections for people with pre-existing
conditions against Republicans' relentless efforts to dismantle them." President Biden and other Democrats had criticized Republican efforts to strike down the law at a time when the United States was grappling with a deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Neel Kashkari:
Fix ObamaCare's fundamental flaws, or replace it completely
The Californians I've met with often mention two fundamental flaws with President Barack Obama's healthcare law:- the negative effect of the Affordable Care Act on jobs and
- skyrocketing premiums for healthy people.
I've talked to small
business owners who were concerned they couldn't afford the Affordable Care Act. Some told me they would be forced to cut hours or reduce their full-time staff.
We need to fix the fundamental flaws with ObamaCare, or if it's beyond fixing, replace it completely with something better. Going back to a system where the uninsured turn to emergency rooms for their health care doesn't make sense for anyone.
Developing a health care system that actually works starts by having an honest conversation with the American people about the trade-offs involved. President Obama has been in office five years and hasn't been willing to have one yet.
Source: Kashkari in O.C. Register: 2014 California Governor race
Jan 2, 2014
Neil Gorsuch:
Individual mandate is unconstitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in CA v. TX concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required most
Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be declared invalid
if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible action that is causally connected
to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Opinion authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Alito and Gorsuch dissented, [declaring the] individual mandate "clearly unconstitutional"
Source: Vox.com on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Norma Torres:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013. (Torres voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Ro Khanna:
ACA is a good start; improve ObamaCare
The Affordable Care Act--commonly known as Obamacare--must be properly implemented to improve the status of healthcare in our country. While the ACA is a good start for better healthcare in this country, it is in our hands to oversee its
successful implementation and to continue strengthening American healthcare over time--especially as some members of Congress repeatedly attempt to repeal the law and others seek to strip its preventive measures and other core provisions.
That said, we must to be open with American people and ensure that those who have been surprised by policy cancelations as a result of Obamacare are able to keep their plans for the next year. We need to honor the commitment that people get to
keep plans they want, and I am encouraged that the Obama Administration is working on this important fix. We also need to take measures to lower the cost of health care so that working families and the middle class do not face rising premiums.
Source: 2016 California House campaign website RoKhanna.com
Nov 8, 2016
Rob Bonta:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27, 2013.
Source: California legislative voting records AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Samuel Alito:
Individual mandate is unconstitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in CA v. TX concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required most
Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be declared invalid
if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible action that is causally connected
to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Opinion authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Alito and Gorsuch dissented, [declaring the] individual mandate "clearly unconstitutional"
Source: Vox.com on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Sonia Sotomayor:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Stephen Breyer:
Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax
The Court's decision in California v. Texas concludes that the plaintiffs trying to undo ObamaCare had no business being in court. The case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required
most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be
declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down.In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing: "The IRS can no longer seek a penalty; there is no possible Government
action that is causally connected to the plaintiffs' injury."
SCOTUS outcome:Authored by Breyer; joined by Roberts; Thomas; Sotomayor; Kagan; Kavanaugh; and Barrett. Thomas also wrote a concurring opinion. Alito and Gorsuch dissented.
Source: Reuters on 2021 SCOTUS ruling: "California v. Texas"
Jun 17, 2021
Steve Knight:
Repeal ObamaCare
Q: The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) should be repealed by Congress?
Knight: Strongly Agree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 California House race
Sep 30, 2014
Steve Knight:
Voted NO on expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013. (Knight voted NAY).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Ted Lieu:
No vouchers for Medicare; healthcare is a right
Medicare is currently threatened by political forces that want to turn it into a voucher system. Ted Lieu opposes this, because 'voucher' is just code for 'privatization' and an attempt to redirect funding away from healthcare services. Quality,
affordable healthcare is a right, not a privilege. As a member of Congress, Ted will work to ensure everyone has access to quality and affordable care, including through the expansion and strengthening of Medicare.
Source: 2014 California House campaign website, TedLieu.com
Oct 10, 2014
Ted Lieu:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,2013. (Lieu voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Tom Del Beccaro:
More taxes & regulations loom with ObamaCare
We are arguably headed for difficult economic times given ObamaCare's looming implementation, proposed tax increases, and ever more in the way of regulations. Congressional Republicans should pick out significant government programs that are not working.
Obviously, that will be incredibly easy. Then they should lay out specific cost savings from those failed programs. For the next two years, the Republicans should hold a monthly press conference on the Capitol steps wherein they explain:
- The original purpose of the Non-working Program
- Who was originally supposed to have benefited from the Non-working Program
- The GOP's Reformed Program
-
Why the Reformed Program is better for the Nation
- How much the Reformed Program will save taxpayers
Source: Forbes Magazine column for 2016 California Senate race
Nov 28, 2012
Tom Steyer:
2016: Increase cigarette tax by $2 per pack
Report on Steyer's stance and spending on ballot initiatives: - California Proposition 56, Tobacco Tax Initiative (2016)
- Steyer Supported; Steyer spent $1 million; outcome: Approved
-
California Proposition 56 was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in California as a combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute. It was approved.
-
A "yes" vote favored increasing the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with equivalent increases on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.
-
A "no" vote opposed increasing the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with equivalent increases on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.
- The tobacco tax increase went into effect on April 1, 2017.
Source: Ballotpedia.org on California ballot measure voting records
Jul 2, 2019
Travis Allen:
Voted NO on expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27,˜2013. (Allen voted NAY).
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
Xavier Becerra:
133M people with pre-existing conditions rely on ObamaCare
Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act's health insurance will continue despite the federal judge's ruling that the law is unconstitutional and must be "invalidated in whole." U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, a federal judge in Texas appointed by
President George W. Bush, ruled that last year's tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under ObamaCare by eliminating a penalty for not having coverage. The rest of the law cannot be separated from that provision and is therefore
invalid, he wrote.Congress is unlikely to act while the case remains in the courts. Xavier Becerra, the California attorney general, vowed to appeal the decision. "Today's ruling is an assault on 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, on
the 20 million Americans who rely on the A.C.A.'s consumer protections for health care, on America's faithful progress toward affordable health care for all Americans," Becerra said in a statement, obtained by The New York Times.
Source: Fox News on 2022 California Senate race
Dec 15, 2018
Xavier Becerra:
Healthcare is a right, will fight for access to all services
Attorney General Becerra is committed to protecting access to health care for all Californians.
Health care is a right, and the Attorney General will fight for your right to access all health care services.
Source: California Attorney General website: Biden Cabinet
Dec 16, 2020
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023