Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger touted a new study Monday that shows the average family pays a $1,200 "hidden tax" to subsidize health care for the uninsured.

But the governor, who is in the process of developing plans for reforming the state's health care system, once again rejected the idea that taxes should be raised to pay for coverage of the estimated 6.5 million uninsured Californians...

Analysis from the New American Foundation shows that the average California family of four with private insurance pays $1,186 more in premiums to subsidize the care of the uninsured...

Peter Harbage, one of the authors of the New America study, said the point of the study was to make sure people understand the links between the premiums paid by the insured and the costs of care to the uninsured.

"It's easy for people who have health insurance to believe that the uninsured is a problem separate from them," he said. "What we are trying to show is that everyone in California is already paying for the uninsured. It would be better to have a universal health care system where everyone gets coverage that is more affordable."

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