Editorial: Compromising on health care
Los Angeles Times Editorial
Among the bills Sacramento is scrambling to pass into law by the end of the legislative session on Sept. 11, perhaps none has received as much interest as healthcare reform. With good reason. In recent days, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 18.5% of people in the state -- about 6.7 million, more than ever before -- are uninsured, and the Field Poll reported that 69% of Californians are dissatisfied with the state's healthcare system.
A week ago, two proposals to overhaul that system were competing in the Capitol. The first, from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has made healthcare a pet project for 2007, sought to achieve coverage for everyone by requiring all Californians to own insurance and splitting the cost among consumers, government, employers and healthcare providers. The second, AB 8, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles), provided something short of universal coverage with more pay-in from employers.
The differences between the two plans were relatively minor. Both preserved (but imposed reforms on) private insurance, expanded Medi-Cal coverage and pushed cost-containment programs. Nonetheless, Schwarzenegger threatened to veto AB 8, saying it put too much burden on business. Nuñez in turn said he would take the governor's plan to the floor for a vote it was guaranteed to lose -- a ploy that would have crushed negotiations.
September 4, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Blog Reactions
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