Nearly two-thirds of California voters want to see transformational changes, not minor reforms, to California’s broken health care system.

Today, California Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José), with the sponsorship of California Nurses Association (CNA), reintroduced Assembly Bill (AB) 1900, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act. AB 1900, also known as CalCare, would enact a comprehensive framework for a single-payer health care coverage system in California at a time when California voters are ready to champion transformational changes in health care.

A new poll conducted by David Binder Research found that nearly two-thirds of California voters want to see transformational changes, not minor reforms, to California’s broken health care system. Uncertainty and anxiety about health care costs have been rising – exacerbated by unprecedented trillion-dollar cuts at the federal level – with more than 40 percent of voters saying it’s become harder to afford health care in the past several years.

“We are proud to work with Assemblymember Kalra and the statewide grassroots movement behind this campaign to make CalCare a reality in 2026,” said Sandy Reding RN and a president of California Nurses Association. “CalCare is a winning issue for California Democrats. Elected representatives in Sacramento have a clear public mandate to pass CalCare. From Prop. 50’s passage to Zohran Mamdani’s election to this new poll on California’s health care system, Democratic voters across the country have made it clear they strongly support a bold response to the right-wing billionaire agenda and a transformative vision for the country.” 

An overwhelming majority of Democrats – 86 percent – support single-payer health care, according to data released this week. The poll also shows that more than three-quarters of Democrats are more likely to support a candidate for governor if they were to run on creating a single-payer system. 

“I am proud to introduce AB 1900 to initiate a transition to a single-payer health care coverage system. With CalCare, healthcare will be recognized as a human right—offering a stark contrast to the current status quo, where we invest the most in care yet experience some of the poorest health outcomes,” said Assemblymember Kalra. “Access to healthcare should never be determined by your employment, location, gender or sexual orientation, age, or pre-existing conditions. In light of devastating cuts from the federal government, we must reject the inequities of the worsening system and fight for a better future for all Californians. We cannot afford to wait any longer. I strongly believe passing the policy legislation of CalCare, then following the process outlined in the Affordable Care Act to secure federal waivers and funding is our best path forward.”

California’s union nurses, represented by CNA, are committed to continuing to lead the organizing to build the grassroots movement necessary to win support for and pass CalCare. More than 270 organizations have endorsed CalCare. Hundreds of patients and community activists have already filled town halls this year to learn about this year’s CalCare push and get prepared to build support for the bill. 

There are 20 state elected representatives, including Asm. Kalra, who are joint authors or coauthors of CalCare. The joint authors are Assemblymembers Isaac Bryan, Alex Lee, Liz Ortega, and Chris Rogers. The principal coauthors are Assemblymembers Damon Connolly, Sade Elhawary, and Nick Schultz and Senators Lena Gonzalez and Mike McGuire. The coauthors include Assemblymembers Robert Garcia, Matt Haney, John Harabedian, Corey Jackson, Tina McKinnor, and Celeste Rodriguez and Senators Josh Becker, Dave Cortese, John Laird, and Sasha Renée Perez.

As many as 3.4 million people in California could lose their health insurance due to the passage of H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation bill, including the parents and babies who depend on Medi-Cal for safe deliveries (Medi-Cal finances nearly half of all births in the state). H.R. 1, touted by President Donald Trump, steals more than $900 billion in Medicaid funding from everyday Americans and slashes insurance for 10 million people to fund tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. This year, health care premiums for people getting insurance from Covered California, the state's Affordable Care Act Marketplace, have more than doubled on average with the loss of premium tax credits, leaving many people unable to afford coverage and likely to forgo care.

AB 1900 establishes the policy framework for a single-payer health care system in California, and intends to be considered separate from a financing proposal. Until a financing proposal is passed, the costs incurred would be for convening the CalCare Board and Public Advisory Commission to develop a transition plan to CalCare, minimizing the impact on the budget this year. Once fully financed, California would start implementing CalCare. 

CalCare will ensure that all Californians, regardless of employment, income, immigration status, race, gender, or any other considerations, can get the health care they need, free at the point of service. CalCare also includes long-term services and supports for people with disabilities and the elderly, a health care cost control system, and ways to address health care disparities.

“The current budget deficit cannot be an excuse to delay action. It’s of utmost urgency that California pass the policy of CalCare, AB 1900, as soon as possible because people are suffering right now. We need to begin this work immediately,” said Reding, RN. “A single-payer system will save money in the long run. In addition, CalCare could boost economic growth by eliminating future medical debt, allowing greater freedom to change jobs, and more. This is so important for our patients. People are delaying care due to costs. They are forced to choose between paying their rent and medications, food, or doctor’s bills. This is why we need a single-payer system.”

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.