Which state was the first to introduce universal health insurance ?
The state would use the new fees to expand free or low - cost health insurance to those with low incomes , would allow higher income individuals to purchase “ catastrophic ” insurance , and would require insurance companies to sell insurance to any applicant ( called guaranteed issue ) By mid-year , two different Democratic proposals that overlapped the Governor ’s proposal had merged into Assembly Bill 8 ( AB8 ) and were seen as the most likely health insurance expansion bill to be passed and signed by California ’s governor in 2007 .