Schwarzenegger criticizes Democrats' health plan

Jordan Rau
Los Angeles Times

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took a firm stand Wednesday against the Democratic healthcare proposal moving through the Legislature, saying for the first time that he would not support an expansion of medical insurance if it were financed solely by new requirements on employers.

The Democratic proposal would require employers to spend at least the equivalent of 7.5% of their payroll on their workers' health. The governor insisted that the plan also must require all Californians to have insurance, an idea at the core of his January proposal.