California Gov. Schwarzenegger, State Democratic Lawmakers Disagree On Health System Overhaul, But 'Decent Chance' Remains For Compromise, Wall St.Rep

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined prospects for a proposal announced earlier this year by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) that would require all state residents to obtain health insurance.

According to the Journal, Schwarzenegger "cast himself as the rescuer of a broken system" when he announced the proposal, but the "state Legislature has its own would-be action heroes": state Democratic lawmakers who recently announced a rival proposal that significantly differs from the Schwarzenegger plan. In addition, state Republican lawmakers, who oppose both proposals, have said that a levy on businesses for health insurance included in both plans amounts to a tax and not a fee.

"Despite the wrangling, there's still a decent chance that the Democrats and Mr. Schwarzenegger will agree on a major overhaul," the Journal reports. The "governor has put his prestige on the line by promising a comprehensive solution by the end of the year -- which effectively means mid-September because the legislative session ends then" -- and "incremental change" to the California health care system "wouldn't be enough" for Schwarzenegger, according to the Journal.

Schwarzenegger in an interview said, "That's someone else's style, not mine. Everything is this year" (Wilde Mathews/Rundle, Wall Street Journal, 7/17).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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