SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lawmakers declined to vote on a high-profile effort to overhaul California’s health care system on Monday, putting an end to a proposal that would have guaranteed medical coverage to every resident by levying billions in new taxes.
Assembly Bill 1400 by Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) did not have the necessary votes to move forward ahead of a key deadline Monday. Instead of forcing a vote that could be politically difficult for some of his Democratic colleagues as some supporters of the bill wanted, Kalra opted to let the bill die.
“Despite heavy opposition and substantial misinformation from those that stand to profit from our current health care system, we were able to ignite a realistic and achievable path toward single-payer and bring AB 1400 to the floor of the Assembly,” Kalra said in a statement. “However, it became clear that we did not have the votes necessary for passage and I decided the best course of action is to not put AB 1400 for a vote today.”
