Nurses oppose governor's plan

By
San Diego Union-Tribune
March 16, 2007

The California Nurses Association says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's health insurance reform proposal will be unaffordable for people forced to acquire coverage through a new state-sponsored purchasing pool.

A report being released today in San Diego by the association says a typical San Diego County resident could spend as much as $12,320 a year in premiums and deductibles, or a quarter of the average county household income, before receiving any insurance benefits.

The report is based on an analysis of a similar insurance pool in Massachusetts, said association spokesman Shum Preston.

The governor's plan anticipates an individual policy holder paying about $2,700 a year in premiums and a $5,000 deductible, but the Legislative Analyst's Office said in February that it was likely that pool policy premiums would be higher.