Xavier Becerra in His Personal Phrases: ‘Well being Care Is a Proper’

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped California Lawyer Common Xavier Becerra to steer the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers. Becerra, who could be the nation’s first Latino HHS secretary, has taken some ground-breaking positions on well being care, particularly since he grew to become lawyer common in 2017.

He has sued the Trump administration dozens of occasions on well being care, contraception, immigration, local weather change and extra, with California main the protection of the Inexpensive Care Act earlier than the U.S. Supreme Courtroom. Becerra has additionally received a serious authorized settlement from Sutter Well being after accusing the nonprofit well being care large of utilizing its market dominance in Northern California to illegally drive up costs.

Becerra informed California Healthline final 12 months that his views have been formed by his expertise because the son of Mexican immigrants. Describing his mom’s miscarriage, he mentioned that everybody ought to be capable to go to the physician: “For me, well being care is a proper,” he mentioned. “I’ve been a single-payer advocate all my life.”

Right here’s extra of what he informed California Healthline and KHN about his views on well being care prior to now few years:

Early final 12 months, Becerra informed Samantha Younger, California Healthline’s state politics correspondent, about his expertise because the baby of immigrants, and the way that formed his authorized and political profession.

For California Lawyer Common Xavier Becerra, Resistance Is Private

Xavier Becerra, the state’s first Latino lawyer common, is one in all President Donald Trump’s most relentless adversaries. He attributes his authorized values — and his opposition to the present administration — to his upbringing because the son of Mexican immigrants.

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Becerra joined KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner on her “What the Well being?” podcast two years in the past about his emphasis on well being care as lawyer common.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Well being?’ Republicans’ Preexisting Political Downside

On this episode of KHN’s “What the Well being?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Well being Information, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Name, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Road Journal and Joanne Kenen of Politico talk about how protections for folks with preexisting circumstances have change into a high situation within the elections, Trump administration efforts to make prescription drug costs extra public and the beginning of Medicare’s annual open-enrollment interval. Plus, Rovner interviews California Lawyer Common Xavier Becerra.

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Final month, Becerra spoke with Samantha Younger about his protection of the Inexpensive Care Act earlier than the U.S. Supreme Courtroom.

Justices Certain to See ACA as ‘Indispensable,’ Says Californian Main Protection

The U.S. Supreme Courtroom will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that would overturn the Inexpensive Care Act. California Lawyer Common Xavier Becerra, who’s defending the legislation with the backing of greater than 20 different states, informed California Healthline that he predicts the justices will uphold it.

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KHN, which publishes California Healthline, is an editorially unbiased program of KFF.