California is one step closer to universal health care
Imagine a healthcare system that provides equal access to mental health care for everyone. A system in which private practice therapists receive fair reimbursement rates and all therapists have sustainable workloads and the time to meet the needs of their patients.
That’s what a universal healthcare system could mean for the practice of behavioral health care, and last month California took an important step toward transformational reform when Gov. Newsom signed SB 770.
SB 770, which NUHW co-sponsored, advances the work of Gov. Newsom’s Healthy California For All Commission. In a 2022 report, the commission found that transitioning to a universal healthcare system would avert 4,000 deaths per year, and save Californians $158 billion per year in healthcare spending by 2031. Those savings could be used to cut out-of-pocket costs, expand access to long-term care and other services, and relieve the burden of high healthcare costs on families and businesses.
The system, as envisioned by Newsom’s commission, would guarantee all California residents a comprehensive package of health benefits, including behavioral healthcare, while eliminating the disparities between government programs like Medicare and private employer-sponsored insurance.
To put the commission’s recommendations into action, SB 770 directs California’s Secretary of Health and Human Services to pursue discussions with federal authorities regarding the potential terms of waivers necessary for California to secure its full share of federal healthcare funds for the new system. The agency will be required to publish a final plan by November 1, 2025 so that it could move forward with formal federal waiver applications in early 2026.
In the meantime, we’ll be working hard to expand the growing coalition of unions, healthcare advocacy organizations and anti-poverty organizations that are supporting this process for meaningful healthcare reform. Stay tuned for more updates.