Health Care Proves Divisive Among Democrats

Four Democratic candidates for governor demonstrated that Thursday night before an audience of hundreds gathered in San Diego for a state party convention. Talk of single-payer health care at the debate — sponsored by the San Diego Democratic Party — drew some of the biggest cheers of the night.

“It’s a fundamental issue in this campaign,” said Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor and a strong proponent of single-payer health care. “With respect to some of the others on this stage, I don’t sense that they are as committed to single-payer as they are saying.”

That position was echoed by Delaine Eastin, the former state superintendent of public instruction. “I support single-payer health care,” she said. “I’ve never equivocated.”

The idea has met a frosty reception from Brown and some legislative leaders, who say it would be hugely expensive. No one has explained exactly how the cost might be covered. And two of the candidates — Antonio R. Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, and John Chiang, the state treasurer — are skeptical.

“We are looking at a Trump administration, may I remind us all, who are trying to take away health care from 2 to 5 million people in California,” Villaraigosa said. “We have to stand at the gate and say no. We need waivers from Trump to get single-payer in this state.”

Chiang said he supported the concept of single-payer, but said, “I want to push California to do aggressively what we can today.”

Newsom saw his opening: “I want to defeat Trumpism,” he said. “I also want to defeat defeatist Democrats.”