Gov. Ed Rendell aims to make health insurance affordable for all Pennsylvanians. The Democratic governor's "Prescription for Pennsylvania" remains one of the largest proposals of any state, according to health policy advocates. Here is how it compares with similar proposals in California and Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts already has a law, pushed by former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, that requires every resident to obtain health insurance. Coverage is mandatory, and those without policies face a fine equal to half the cost of the average insurance policy.

Rendell's plan doesn't have that requirement...

CALIFORNIA

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan would be the largest and most ambitious by attempting to mandate health insurance and covering 61/2 times as many people without insurance as Rendell's proposal.

"All plans look piddly next to Arnold's," said Christy Gallagher, a health policy expert at the New America Foundation, which helped craft the proposal for Schwarzenegger, a Republican...

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