Mandatory Health Insurance for All Californians

The new state law is mandatory health insurance for all legal citizens of California. Effective January 1, 2020, this new law states that it is mandatory for Californians to have health insurance from 2020 forward. Proposed by state officials, this law is only reviving the requirement that if Californians do not get the health insurance they will be faced with penalties in the next year, 2021. A single uninsured California adult could receive a charge from the state of $695 or pay 2.5% of their gross income. A family consisting of four could be penalized a minimum of $2,085. Though this is simply a revision of the Affordable Care Act, it is projected that the state’s penalty will bring in approximately $317 million.

The purpose of this law is to reduce the number of uninsured Californians, individuals and families thus leading to a healthier California. Though not causally related there is speculation that it will also help low-income individuals and illegal immigrants living in California to pay for health coverage. Because of this, there are many opposed to the new law believing it to be unfair. For instance, there was a leader from a student group that are supporters of Trump that said that California is “putting illegals first” when it comes to health care.

Sources

Fournier, Ryan, et al. “PolitiFact - California's Health Mandate Penalty and Coverage of Immigrants in the State Illegally, Explained.” @Politifact, 30 Oct. 2019, POLITIFACT ARTICLE