Golden state mandates healthcare forall.

Lawmakers in California moved their state's healthcare system a step closer toward universal health coverage by approving the Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act. Among the Act's provisions, everyone in the state will be required to have health insurance. For the self-employed and currently

uninsured, that means buying insurance either on the open market or through a state pool. Coverage cannot be denied to individuals because of prior health issues and insurers also won't be allowed to charge price-gouging rates for pre-existing conditions. Employers must provide insurance for their workers or pay into a state fund through which workers will be able to get coverage. Also, payroll size will determine the amounts that employers will pay, either for insurance or into the state fund. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger applauded the state assembly's approval of the healthcare act, calling it "self-financing" and "the best thing we could do right now for the California economy and our state budget." To read more about California's Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act, visit the state's Web site at www.fixourhealthcare.ca.gov/plan.