The Humboldt chapter of the Health Care for All-California organization hosted State Assembly candidate Chris Rogers today in a meeting this afternoon at the Sanctuary in Arcata. Rogers talked about his views on health care and his plans for California if elected. 

Rogers is a strong advocate for single-payer health care, which he thinks is cheaper and fairer than the current system. 

“There’s no reason, in the richest state in the richest country in the world, that people should be going broke just because they’re sick,” Rogers said. 

About 30 people showed up to the meeting, mostly retired professionals and activists. Reactions to Rogers were positive, though many were disappointed in how unlikely it seemed that a single-payer health care would ever be implemented. 

“I’d like to see universal health care before I die,” one elderly member of the audience joked. 

Rogers is from Santa Rosa, where he was on the city council and served as mayor. Rogers announced his candidacy last year. He beat five other Democratic candidates to make it on the ticket this November. 

Rogers stressed his rural background and promised that he’d push for more equitable treatment of less-populated areas. 

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach that will work for everyone,” Rogers said at the meeting. “That doesn’t work.”

Rogers faces Republican candidate Michael Greer, a member of the board of directors of the Del Norte School District on the Nov. 5 ballot.