Deal on Health Care Reform a Possibility in California
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Democratic legislative leaders "could strike a deal any day now" on health care reform if both sides make some concessions, a Sacramento Bee editorial states.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) should drop his proposal that employers contribute 7.5% of payroll to health insurance and "move that figure closer to 5%," according to the editorial.
As for the governor, the editorial calls for him to clarify what minimum benefits health plans would be required to provide and "drop his proposal to lease the state lottery to help pay for health reform."
If these steps are taken, lawmakers will be left with a gap of about $2 billion between revenue and costs for the plan, a sum the Bee advocates addressing with "a broad-based increase in the income tax."
"There's no free lunch for health care reform," the editorial states, concluding, "If Californians want it, then state leaders must figure out a way to pay for it" (Sacramento Bee, 11/2).