Today Governor Schwarzenegger will introduce what has been described as a major proposal to deal with the challenge of millions of Californians not having health insurance.
That said, Governor Schwarzenegger made it clear that he does not think the solution to this challenge is to require that businesses pay more. Specifically, the Governor said, "I want everyone to have healthcare, but we have to make sure that the businesses in California stay competitive compared to Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico. As you know, the Governors come into our state and are hustling business into their states because it’s cheaper to do business. We want to make sure it’s cheap and keep it under control and stimulate the economy and get everyone to work."
This is a direct quote from an interview that the Governor had with former Presidential Chief-of-Staff Leon Panetta in an interview for Panetta’s lecture series on October 18th of 2004. At the time, Californians were being asked to vote on Proposition 72, a socialized medicine scheme which the Governor opposed. In the interview he said, "The key is not to keep it the way it is at the expense of businesses. I’m against proposition 72 which is the healthcare initiative… It will be destructive for the businesses in California.
The same concerns that the Governor articulated in 2004 are just as true today, and so it is our hope that Governor Schwarzenegger will be consistent with his very own words, and that this proposal today will pursue dynamic ways to increase access to insurance without injecting more government controls and mandates on California businesses. We already have too many businesses leaving the state as it is. We need to improve the business economy in the state, not create impediments to new and better jobs.