Posted on 10/04/2007 7:36:10 PM PDT by bill1952
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appears to be closing in on what would be a rare achievement for a Republican governor: providing universal health care coverage to his state's citizens.
One possible roadblock, however: State legislators in the governor's own party are none too happy about it.
Following the lead of GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, Schwarzenegger appears close to striking a deal with a Democratic-controlled Legislature to make health coverage both mandatory and affordable for his state's 6.5 million uninsured.
The Legislature passed a version of the plan in mid-September. Schwarzenegger vetoed it, however, citing higher-than-desired employer costs attached to his proposed $12 billion plan. But he then immediately announced a call for a special session of the Legislature to reach an accord.
Now it's simply a matter of striking a deal with California Democrats....
...Schwarzenegger's plan has received blistering criticism from California Republicans, however.
Michael Villines, the Assembly's GOP leader, tells The Washington Post that the plan is a "one-way road to disaster."
"They [Schwarzenegger and the Democrats] have to own it, not the Republicans," he says. "They have to convince Californians that they are not taxed enough now."
Similarly, Michael Cannon of the libertarian Cato Institute recently wrote in the National Review that the plan is a "thinly veiled shakedown that is both dishonest and emblematic of what ails America's health care system."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Meanwhile, another large, formerly California firm is locating in this (Florida) area right now, and a new development is springing up around it...
The longish article is a good read, and it appears that all of you in California are going to be paying for this very soon. - What say you about that?
RINOs make me sick.
Good for America for them to show the results of this early....kind of like privitized utilities...they are already down $10B deficit...the rest of us will be asked to bail them out before its over.
Why is it the people who scream the loudest about choice and freedom are the same people who FORCE things on me against my choice, and TAKE the freedoms I want to keep?
The socialists want freedom of choice for themselves only.
I say again: thank God I left Cali in July.
Yay for Schwarzenkenedy! [barf]
Can anyone tell us how this will work? If we can’t even stop 10 million illegal aliens from invading CA..how can we force them to buy health insurance?
Notice that there is no attempt to explain the system in advance to the citizens..
Both Schwarzenegger and the Democrats want children of all immigrants -- regardless of legal status -- covered under the plan, as well as all immigrants employed by the state.
Oh, joy!
As to "immigrants employed by the state," I assume they are talking legal immigrants? How many non-citizens could the state employ? And why is he singling them out?
Don't think only Californians will pay. IIRC, there was a sneaky little provision in the initial proposal that caused a huge chunk of Fed dollars to flow into Arnie's Santa Claus bag.
Is there any way this can be stopped? Phone calls aren’t cuttin’ it!
Much like the Massachusetts plan, Schwarzenegger's approach would include a mix of economic incentives and requirements affecting insurance companies, employers, doctors, hospitals, and individuals. It also would involve an increase in the state sales tax, a proposal likely to appear on California's November 2008 ballot.
If you don’t work its free. You know where that goes...
The monies will be garnished from the pay of people who are employed.
Actually, that was explained in an earlier thread.
That just diverts existing funds from one thing to another.
You’re not going to give me Arnold’s “hidden tax” argument, are you?
It sounds like you support this—do you?
A referendum would be one way. The threat of that was what got the illegal alien driver license law rescinded by the legislature.
LOL! I don’t even know what you are talking about.
Then I really don't understand what you meant by your comment:
That just diverts existing funds from one thing to another.Are you saying that this program will not actually increase the number of services provided and only move existing dollars around? If so, I disagree. When "someone else" pays for health care insurance, that person will be more likely to seek treatment thereby increasing the number of services--and the overall cost (IMO).
I was pointing out that although there are matching dollars from the Fed available, they are being sent to another health provider system, and changing the way in which a new system will allocate State money that you poor souls - and I mean that in a non sarcastic way - will have to pay for in increased taxes, will not increase the Fed monies in any way that is going to abate your forced “contributions.”
And as time goes on and the immigrants rush in to demand their newly entitled share, then the burden will also rise on the California taxpayer in a linear fashion.
And they will vote for ever more.
Former California businesses relocate here on a regular, almost daily, basis and they are part of our engine for growth. In this respect, I feel bad for you.
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