California Closes In on Universal Health-Care Plan

Karl Vick
Washington Post

[..] "We hope to have a bill very, very soon," the governor's press secretary, Aaron McLear, said Friday. "It's just a matter of closing the last few inches."

Schwarzenegger has invested mightily in the issue, saying California can set a national example on health insurance as it has on energy conservation and other areas. Last week, he called lawmakers back for a special session to find common ground between a Democratic bill and his own proposal to cover about 5 million uninsured Californians.

"The main sticking point, as it always is, is the funding formula, and where is the revenue stream?" said Fabian Nunez, the Democratic speaker of the State Assembly. "When you rely on a free-market health system, and you want everyone to participate, the key issue is affordability."