Proposition 8 Regulating Dialysis Charges, Fails, AP Projects

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Proposition 8 has failed, the AP projects. It was a ballot measure restricting profits at dialysis clinics and became the most expensive California proposition this election cycle.

The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West poured roughly $20 million into Prop 8 on the November ballot. The measure caps profits for dialysis clinics, which provide vital treatment for people without functioning kidneys.

The largest for-profit dialysis providers — DaVita, Fresenius, and U.S. Renal Care — contributed more than $70 million to defeat the measure.

The union argued Proposition 8 will stop the dialysis companies from cutting corners and force them to invest more of their profits into patient care. Dialysis providers said the measure is actually a tactic to pressure the dialysis companies to let workers unionize and would force clinics to close.