There was no mistaking the intention of members with the powerful California Nurses Association as they marched into the California State Capitol on Wednesday decked out in their bright red scrubs. They made their way through the Capitol halls carrying signs and ready to tell anyone who would listen that they want State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to change his mind and pull the Senate's single-payer health care proposal off the shelf.
Photo by Ryan Harris, KFBK
Local activist, Russell Rawlings, admitted the $400 billion dollar price tag is concerning, but he said the plan will get everyone covered for roughly the same as we pay now to cover some, but not all. "You're getting rid of all of the bloat that exists in the system, and you're removing the profit motive, too," Rawlings claimed. "It's really kind of gross that we're profiting off of people being sick."
Rendon has called the bill "incomplete", with no plan to pay for it a big factor in his decision, while the CNA has characterized Rendon actions as "cowardly".
Republican lawmakers said tripling the state's budget is not a way to keep it financially sound.