San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to support SB 562 - the Healthy California Act, a bill that would guarantee healthcare to all California residents, slash patient and family costs for care, and ensure real patient choice.

The resolution called on California legislators to support SB 562, introduced by State Senators Ricardo Lara and Toni Atkins. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the lead sponsor of the bill.

"Nurses are thrilled to have won the SF Board of Supervisors unanimous support for this resolution. SB 562 will improve and expand health care for our patients and save the state billions of dollars. At the core of the bill is the idea that health care is a human right and so it is very fitting that the City of San Francisco take the lead in supporting legislation that honors that right," said Maureen Dugan, an RN at UCSF, and board member of the California Nurses Association, one of the main sponsors of the bill.

"Despite the collapse of efforts to repeal and replace the ACA, efforts to undermine it by executive order and by legislation continue. It is imperative that the legislature be proactive in protecting Californians' health care and SB 562 is the way to do that," said Supervisor Hillary Ronen (District 9). "The beauty of this legislation is that it does much more than that by guaranteeing health care to all California residents. This will benefit my constituents tremendously and the city of San Francisco as a whole."  

"I support SB 562 because it's time to have a healthcare system that doesn't push families and individuals to the brink of financial disaster if you are unlucky enough to get sick," said Supervisor Jane Kim (District 6). "In San Francisco and the Bay Area, with such a high cost of living already, some families are one illness away from financial disaster. We can do better and that is why we support SB 562-The Healthy California Act."

Representatives of organizations supporting SB 562, including CNA, the Chinese Progressive Association, Single Payer Now and the Healthy California Campaign - SF Chapter, spoke during the public comment period during last nights meeting encouraging supervisors to support the resolution. 

SB 562 has broad support from the Healthy California Campaign, comprised of organizations representing over four million Californians who have been holding town hall meetings, rallies, and canvassing in support of the bill across the state.