Could California's single-payer proposal reignite debate on health care reform?

Public health experts said policymakers around the country are closely watching the debate over a single-payer plan in California.

Earlier this month, a California assembly committee approved two measures to overhaul the state's health care system and provide coverage to all residents free of charge.

Assembly Bill 1400 would set up "CalCare," a state-run, statewide system, and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11 would change the state's tax code to pay for it through a voter referendum.

The fate of the legislation, which would establish a taxpayer-funded system similar to those in the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan, is likely to be closely watched by policymakers in other states and the federal government as consumers in the country deal with ballooning costs and millions of uninsured people.

A single-payer system at the national level was a topic of debate among Democratic presidential candidates in 2020 and support for the idea has increased in recent years.