The Healthy California Act wants to solve the problem of unaffordable premiums, deductibles, and copays with universal, government-run health care — and people are all for that, as long as it doesn’t raise their taxes. How can it not raise taxes? According to the California senate’s own study, the estimated cost of the single-payer program is $400 billion, while California’s total budget for 2018 is already a whopping $179.5 billion, according to Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD, (California) board-certified anesthesiologist, professor and Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Board of Directors member. “The bill naively or slyly makes no mention of funding. The top contenders are (of course) a 15 percent employer tax, a 2.3 percent sales tax increase, a 2.3 percent gross receipts tax, and existing healthcare-directed federal, state, and local funds.”

The real tragedy is that the call for single payer ignores what patients really want, writes Singleton. “Deloitte’s 2016 Consumer Priorities in Health Care Survey found that patients overwhelmingly wanted “personalized provider interactions”. Of course, with a universal, government-run system comes universal privacy eradication and intrusion into our medical records. Secondly, people wanted “economically rational coverage.” They did not say free; they just want value for their dollar. They want convenient access. None of these things will be found in a government-run health care factory staffed by “willing” providers.”