California United for Single-Payer (CUSP) and a Long-Term Vision to Win Single-Payer
As you probably already know, this 2026 legislative session, the Democratic Party supermajority in CA went a step further to stop CalCare/AB 1900 than they did with the two previous CalCare bills.
With the June 2 Primary election approaching and Gavin Newsom running for President in 2028, Democrats did not want to be held accountable for killing CalCare/AB 1900 in the public arena of committee. For this legislative cycle, they dropped any the semblance of democratic process by not allowing the bill to advance to committee. They did not allow a public hearing on it.
Based upon the accumulated experiences of witnessing the Democratic Party and their operatives within the people’s health care reform movement kill single-payer reform legislation repeatedly over several years, we have been forced to draw some clear conclusions:
1. The Democrats, with a trifecta supermajority, are the ruling anti-single payer party in CA in unison with Republicans. When we follow the money, their leadership is bought-off by private insurance company campaign financing. Plainly and simply put, that’s who they work for, not the people.
2. Through the course of the fight against SB 770 lies including having to contest on-the-ground undermining of democratic process in several grassroots organizations by SB 770 advocates, the single-payer movement found out who the true single-payer activists are and who the fraudulent ones are.
3. The sentiment for eliminating private insurance company wealth extraction from our health care system continues to grow. There are now over 320 formal CalCare endorsing organizations. Along with this, the need for complete health care reform is greater than ever, with Project 2025’s massive Medicaid cuts on the horizon.
This is why API for CalCare, with members that have been involved in this fight for a decade or more, has joined the new statewide coalition, California United for Single Payer (CUSP). The principle agreement is that member organizations work to win a health care system that does not include private insurance profiteering – that a single-payer system is how we win health care justice for the people.
By joining with other single-payer organizations in coalition, we are acknowledging the lessons of historic grassroots movements that won large-scale reform: the 40-hour work week, women’s suffrage, the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights and ended the unjust Vietnam War. We are looking to build power with the people, including the ones already on the front-line fights against health care injustice at disproportionate rates.
“The CUSP coalition believes single-payer healthcare will only be achieved by centering and uplifting marginalized communities, addressing the needs of seniors, and engaging rank-and-file trade union members through base-building in every region of the state.“
It is only through building a mass movement that single-payer reform in CA will be won. Only grassroots power will allow us to force the issue and overcome the political lobbying and advertising forces of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. CUSP is embarking on a long-term strategic approach to building the ground game power we need. There is no better time than now to get to work! We will be sharing this approach at training sessions this week (Sunday, June 28 and Tuesday, June 30.
Please join a training session for Part One of the CUSP long term strategy. RSVP for one or both of the sessions. If you cannot make either, we will be recording it for later viewing:
Sunday, June 28 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM:
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oZdi4eFmTea0IIwo5YLUbQ
Tuesday, June 30 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM:
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/T_77LLXiQWORadrubu_IGg
Hope to see you on one of the trainings!
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