Democratic Health Care Proposals Move Forward With More Support Than Arnold's

Perata and Nunez have fleshed out their health care proposals and put a price tag on them. They cost less than Arnold's plan. However, they are not universal, covering 69% of the uninsured. But, that includes more part-time workers and dependents than the governor's proposals. Both Perata's and Nunez's legislation would set the employer contribution at 7.5% of payroll, about what the average firm already contributes to health care. Arnold's plan is woefully low at 4%

It may cover less than Arnold's "universal" plan, but has garnered more support from the power players on this issue, with good reason. LAT:

But several key players in the debate in Sacramento seem poised to back the Democrats' approach over the governor's as closed-door negotiations intensify. Both critics and backers said the chances of the Democrats' plans were bolstered by an outside analysis of the plans that said they would raise enough money to subsidize care for the poor and all low- and moderate-income children in California.

There are serious questions about the viability of Arnold's health care funding. The Democrats want to cover less people, but thus far their proposals are more realistic. A number of stakeholders voiced their approval yesterday:

Dustin Corcoran, the chief lobbyist for the California Medical Assn., said his group was more likely to favor the Democratic plan, which does not include a levy on doctors' incomes, unlike the governor's.

"It's a solid construct and a very good foundation to build a universal coverage proposal," Corcoran said.

Art Pulaski, the secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation, called the plans "the first big step that makes health reform real."

And Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, one of the most prominent consumer groups in the capital, said the Democratic plans were "an improvement" over Schwarzenegger's because they did not require everyone to purchase insurance.

"This shows that healthcare reform is achievable and that it can be financed with a relatively modest contribution," Wright said.

The governor still has not found a single Republican to actually support his plan and introduce it as legislation. All of them are opposed to both the Democratic leaders' proposals and Arnold's plan, and as the Times points out, their rhetoric has actually ratcheted up against it in recent weeks.

The actual structure of the plans further complicates matters. The 2/3rds vote requirements that may come into effect with Arnold's plan to place assessments on hospitals and doctors. The Democratic leaders' plan is "written to pass with simple majority votes." This makes the Democrat's much more viable legislatively. It is likely that if any of the proposals make it into law that they will face a referendum challenge backed by business interests.

Health Access has a great run down on the two proposals, complete with charts. Everybody loves a good chart.

[UPDATE] We get a clearer picture of just how many of the uninsured each plan would cover from MIT numbers guru John Gruber. From Meyers:

Gruber believes the governor's suggested plan would cover all but about 800,000 of the uninsured, while both Democratic leaders' plans would cover all but about 1.5 million of the uninsured.

That is why Arnold's "universal" plan deserves to be in quotation marks.