Medical Coverage Under FireApril, 2007
Health insurance in California has been the topic of heated debate and could face tremendous legislative change ever since Governor Schwarzenegger's January proclamation that everyone in California will be required to find medical coverage under his plan.
How could this possibly work? The proposal would require all state residents to obtain health insurance and would share the cost among employers, individuals, health care providers, health insurers and the government. With over 6 million uninsured in his state, the Governor's plan would completely restyle health insurance in California, and perhaps revolutionize medical coverage in general.
That is, if it works.
According to
signonsandiego.com, "some Democrats don't like the mandate that would require every person to obtain insurance coverage, while some Republicans have balked at the proposed charges against businesses and health care providers. Some insurers oppose the requirement to cover people with pre-existing health conditions."
And all of it could prove very expensive.
But if it does work, consumers and hospitals could stand to save money and lives. Schwarzenegger told the crowd gathered at Mercy Hospital in San Diego that the state's emergency rooms are being choked to the point of closing by uninsured patients who can't afford to seek treatment for routine conditions at doctors' offices and clinics.
Facts on:
Health Insurance in California
Did you know...
There are over 6 million uninsured citizens in California?
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By making health insurance in California both required and affordable, Schwarzenegger hopes to protect the health of Californians, and to ease some of the billions of dollars in medical costs that go unpaid in California hospitals.
The only way to know if it will work will be in passing his plan, but in trying to make
medical coverage affordable to everyone, Schwarzenegger certainly brings this problematic and exhausting topic to the public eye, which is exactly where it belongs.
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