Is Health Insurance Over in California?January 2008
After an intense, year-long struggle to reorganize California's
health care system, it looks like Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's universal health insurance bill may in fact be doomed.
As it's reported at the
LA Times , the bill that had been painstakingly constructed by both Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuņez was rejected Monday by the state Senate, obliterating the chance of anything but "piecemeal healthcare changes" from the Legislature this year.
The main argument against the bill is that of the costs, with senators calling a universal health insurance plan in California "too risky a financial commitment" when California faces a $14.5-billion budget gap that could force them to cut existing healthcare programs.
Schwarzenegger had proposed about $2.9 billion in health care cuts over the next 18 months as a means of providing income for the universal plan, which would also have found funding from small business owners, a new cigarette tax, and fees applied to hospitals.
The main argument was that too much strain would be forced upon small business owners already struggling with medical premiums for their employees. This was compounded by the expensive cuts that would have been required, including funding to school, parks, and Medicaid.
Those in support of the bill need only remind us of the millions of Californians who don't have
health insurance, and who, alongside their own suffering without appropriate medical attention, burden the health care system with unpaid medical debts.
Facts on:
Health Care and Legislation
Did you know...
The number of uninsured Californians is more than 6.5 million, just over 20% of the non-elderly population?
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Schwarzenegger issued a statement after the vote calling it a setback, and vowing that he would not walk away from more "comprehensive healthcare reform."
Hopefully, this means that the drive towards more affordable health insurance will continue, not just in California, but all over the country.
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