San Jose Mercury News on Schwarzenegger Plan, New America Report
SACRAMENTO - As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger puts the final touches on his proposal to revamp the state's ailing health care system, a new statewide poll suggests that only a bare majority of California voters are satisfied with the current system, and a large majority worry about what the future might bring...
Schwarzenegger has dubbed 2007 "the year of health care" and plans to unveil his closely guarded reform ideas Monday, sparking what he hopes will become a collaborative, bipartisan overhaul effort.Democratic legislators, led by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, have released outlines of their own health plans and are expected to provide more details this month.
Without revealing specifics, the GOP governor has emphasized a general need for "shared responsibility" -- among employers, individuals and government -- to expand access to the estimated 6.6 million Californians who lack insurance for all or part of the year.
Increasingly, Schwarzenegger says, people with insurance are bearing the costs of treating people who lack coverage and use the emergency room for care. A study by the New America Foundation estimated that a family of four in California pays an extra $1,186 a year in premiums to subsidize care for the uninsured, and Schwarzenegger recently dubbed those costs a ``hidden tax.''
An aide to Schwarzenegger said the new California Field Poll validates the governor's decision to make health care reform a top priority this year...
For the complete article, please visit The San Jose Mercury News website.
See all New America articles, appearances & citations from San Jose Mercury News











