Looming Deadline on Health Reform Sparks Commentary
Summaries of editorials and an opinion piece regarding health care reform in California appear below.
- San Jose Mercury News: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Democratic leaders in the Legislature "should lock themselves in a room and not emerge until a legislative agreement is reached" on a plan to overhaul California's health care system, a Mercury News editorial states. "Considering how important this issue is to businesses throughout the state, Republicans in the Legislature should also join in forging a compromise, unless they want to continue to be seen as the party that is contributing next to nothing toward solving the biggest crisis confronting the state" (San Jose Mercury News, 9/7).
- San Diego Union-Tribune: "Make no mistake: We share the view that it is outrageous that millions of people struggle to get adequate care in such an affluent state," a Union-Tribune editorial states. "But that does not mean any big change automatically would be an improvement," according to the editorial. "So hold the applause when Schwarzenegger [and Democratic leaders] announce their fatally flawed compromise in the next few days -- because good intentions hardly remedy the weaknesses in bad legislation," the editorial concludes (San Diego Union-Tribune, 9/7).
- Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee: "If spending many billions of dollars on health care is worth doing, it's worth doing right, not merely enacting something so that politicians can pat themselves on the back," Walters writes in his Bee column. "And more time clearly is needed to resolve internal conflicts and determine whether employer mandates run afoul of the federal law," Walters writes. "Bottom line: Health care is still a mélange of moving parts," Walters concludes (Walters, Sacramento Bee, 9/7).