Key Democrats in the state legislature have proposed a budget that eliminates some of the healthcare cuts the governor wants. But passage of the plan depends on whether Republican lawmakers stick to their "no new taxes" pledge. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
Democrats rejected Schwarzenegger's reductions of Medi-Cal eligibility for low-income working parents. They also called for a rollback of the new ten percent cut in the rate Medi-Cal pays doctors and hospitals.
Anthony Wright heads up the non-profit group Health Access California. He says Democrats have accepted some of the governor's cuts.
Anthony Wright: "In fact under the Democrats' proposal now, we would actually still lose about a quarter of a million children off of coverage through a variety of imposition of additional paperwork and increased premiums."
The Democrats' plan depends on raising taxes on wealthy couples and businesses. One Republican lawmaker calls that idea dead on arrival.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
