Wednesday, May 10, 2006
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In an attempt to pressure Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to honor his vow to provide health care for all California children, Assembly Democrats on Monday added $50 million for the children's insurance to next year's proposed budget.
The vote by the Assembly budget subcommittee on health and also human services means lawmakers _ and the Republican governor _ would have to accept or may be reject the proposal as they debate spending for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Around 900,000 Californians under 18 are uninsured. And only half of those children are actually eligible for existing government insurance programs such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.
Schwarzenegger has proposed growing funding in next year's $125.6 billion budget to expand this enrollment of low-income children who already qualify for government coverage.
On Monday, Chan presented a revised plan, which would phase in an expansion of children's insurance in the next three years. The subcommittee approved it on a party-line vote of 4-1.
Bruce Li of Schwarzenegger's Department of Finance called universal children's insurance is a "worthy goal," but said the administration opposed making it an issue in the budget negotiations.
Schwarzenegger is scheduled to release an updated budget proposal on Friday.
"We'll never get there if we don't draw the line and make it a goal," said Laird, chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. "Health insurance for all kids will pay back in better school attendance. It will pay back in (lower) long-term medical care (costs)."
posted by kanth
@ 1:21 AM
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