Some Health Care Bills More Likely To Be Signed Than Others
As his "Year of Health Care Reform" slips into the past, Gov. Schwarzenegger is being urged to sign legislation that could alter the health care landscape in California.
One bill that would make significant changes doesn't have much of a chance. A couple of others, calling for smaller adjustments, have better shots at becoming law.
Labor groups, newspapers and consumer advocates are urging the Republican governor to sign the California Universal Health Care Act, which would create the country's first state-run, single-payer system. Sen. Sheila Kuehl's SB 840 won approval by comfortable margins in the Assembly and Senate, but Schwarzenegger is expected to veto the bill, just as he rejected an earlier version of the proposal in 2006.
Things look better for AB 1945 by Assembly member Hector De La Torre. Under the bill, health insurers would be permitted to rescind coverage only if their attorneys could prove that members intentionally misrepresented information on their health insurance applications.
Odds also are better for another measure by Kuehl. SB 1440 would require insurers to spend at least 85% of premiums on direct medical care and to tell consumers how medical spending breaks down in relation to administrative costs.
Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on any health care reform measures, according to a spokesperson.
The governor has said he would not sign any legislation until a budget is passed, but he has made one exception so far. Here's a look at some health care measures heading to Schwarzenegger.