Media portrays Newsom as a ‘moderate,’ but he is pushing for socialist healthcare in California.

The news media are already working overtime to portray Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-French Laundry,⁤ as moderating his‍ positions ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028. Don’t you believe it.

Legislation that the‍ governor ⁤recently signed into law would take new steps to foist a single-payer health care​ system on the nation’s largest state. That Newsom ⁢would ‌have few qualms about doing ⁤so demonstrates an ideology far more radical than ⁢his⁢ allies would like to portray.

Big-Government Outline

The legislation does not on its ​own establish a single-payer system in California. Doing so would cost significant sums of money, even as the state had to scramble to close ​ a $30 billion budget deficit this summer.

Instead, the bill directs the state’s secretary of health ‍and human services to spend the next two years⁣ developing​ a waiver ‍application ‍to the‌ federal government. Lawmakers ‍hope the waiver would give California federal resources to achieve its‍ supposed socialist utopia.

As such, the five-page bill⁢ only includes broad-brush parameters of⁣ how the ⁢single-payer system ⁢will work, relying on state bureaucrats ‍to flesh out the details over the coming two years. But the parameters provide a troubling view of the road ahead for the Golden State.

Among other provisions, the bill​ states that the new system should provide:

• Services that will‍ not vary by age [or] employment​ status. This provision implies that California residents who currently receive health coverage‍ through‌ their jobs⁢ will ⁤no longer do so. Or, to put it more ⁣bluntly, “If you like ⁢your plan, you can’t keep ⁢it.” ⁤Likewise,‍ saying that⁤ services will not ⁣vary by age implies that seniors⁢ will transition out of their current Medicare plans, ⁣once again demonstrating that a single-payer health system represents not⁢ “Medicare for All,” but “Medicare⁣ for None.”
• Services that will not vary by … immigration status. ⁤ This provision indicates that California will continue its efforts to‌ expand health coverage to‌ illegal immigrants in the state. As it is, the state will ​already spend more than $2 billion to cover⁣ all illegal immigrants beginning next year. It is doing so‍ despite the fact that no less a‍ leftist than Hillary Clinton⁢ admitted to Congress that⁢ “illegal aliens” migrate to the United States ⁤in part to obtain “free” health ⁤coverage.
• The absence of cost‍ sharing for essential services and treatments covered under the program, including primary, preventive, and wellness care services. This bullet, when viewed in ⁤conjunction with a later bullet that talks⁣ about capping individuals’ costs on a sliding scale based on income, may or may‌ not mean the new system ⁢will provide services “free”​ at the ​point of care. But if cost-sharing⁢ does largely disappear, the⁤ amount of‍ “free”​ care provided will soar, because ‌individuals will attempt to consume more care.‍ A 2019 paper by the ‌Urban Institute, a leftist ‌think tank, found that a single-payer plan⁣ that eliminated virtually all cost-sharing ‌would increase national health ⁢spending ⁣ by as much⁤ as nearly $1 trillion per ⁣year.
• A ratesetting⁢ process that could use Medicare‍ rates as the starting point for the development of final rates. The bill⁢ hedges ⁢on whether or not to use⁤ Medicare payment levels — which are generally lower‌ than the rates paid by most private health insurance — to reimburse doctors and hospitals. But if⁣ California decides to‌ use Medicare reimbursement rates, or even something approaching​ Medicare rates, layoffs and job losses would‍ result. In addition, morale among doctors and nurses would likely plummet, as the government would effectively pay them ⁤less to do more work.

The downsides ‌to this ⁤alleged socialist paradise seem obvious. Ironically⁣ enough, Newsom might see those downsides too — just not enough to rein in​ the ⁤radical leftists in ⁤the California legislature.

Political Punt

Believe it or⁢ not, the bill Newsom signed got attacked from the‍ political ​left ​ in California. Groups‌ like the California Nurses ⁣Association think that requiring another in a long line ⁢of studies regarding a ‍single-payer system,‌ rather than pushing‌ to ‌enact legislation immediately,‍ represents a delay ‍tactic.

Indeed​ the ​bill‌ does amount‍ to a ⁤punt of sorts. If a Republican ​gets elected president next November, Newsom can claim a new administration would deny California‍ the waiver authorities it needs to bring single-payer ⁣to fruition — thereby allowing Newsom to dodge the tough ⁣policy choices associated with crafting a new socialized health care system.

That Newsom ⁢chose to take this gamble rather than alienating the left speaks to the nature of his ⁣own politics.‍ It⁤ also means that many ⁣Golden State residents may want to follow the trend of ⁣other Californians and move elsewhere before‌ Newsom‍ and​ his leftist ‌legislature impose‌ their socialist designs on the state’s health system.