Health insurance is a real concern for millions of uninsured Americans. Of the more than 46 million Americans without affordable health insurance, over 670,000 reside in California, a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In fact, the number of Californians without health insurance at one point or another in 2006 topped six million, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. Of the more than six million Californians that did not have health insurance at some point during 2006, more than one million of them were children.

As a result of the staggering number of Californians without health insurance, Governor Schwarzenegger recently announced his plans for reforms to the healthcare system in the state in an attempt to ensure that all Californians have access to affordable healthcare.

One of the proposed ways of ensuring that all Californians have access to affordable healthcare is to increase the sales tax by one cent, an idea that is supported by a small majority of Californians.

According to a survey that was conducted by San Jose State’s Survey and Policy Research Institute, approximately 52 percent of Californians are in favor of the one cent tax increase while only 38 percent would vote against the proposal. The survey polled 652 Californians in both English and Spanish and was conducted in early October.

More of California’s women, an estimated 38 percent, are in favor of a one cent sales tax increase compared to 43 percent of men.

Experts assert that the proposal would likely garner the support of both small businesses and restaurant associations because it will help shield them from a hike in payroll taxes, which will likely be a consequence of any other proposal endorsing universal health coverage.

Currently, Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan for ensuring all Californians have access to affordable health insurance is slated to cost approximately $14 billion, up from an estimated $12 billion in January.

Because there are no or relatively few Republican politicians in California that will support a tax increase to fund healthcare coverage for all Californians, Governor Schwarzenegger is working diligently with California Democrats in an attempt to craft an agreeable healthcare financing initiative that they can then place on the ballot in November 2008.

However, there are some sticking points between Governor Schwarzenegger and Democrats, particularly when it comes to how much employers should have to pay to ensure their employees have health insurance. Governor Schwarzenegger wants those businesses that have payrolls of more than $100,000 to be required to pay between two and four percent.

Some Democrats view that as Governor Schwarzenegger giving employers too much of a break. As a result, Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has proposed that employers pay no less than a 7.5 percent fee, pointing out that those employers who do provide their employees with health insurance pay an estimated 13.5 percent of their payrolls for the health coverage.

If the sales tax increase initiative fails to make it onto ballots in November 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger has already got possible backup plans, including outsourcing the state’s lottery system which, in turn, can raise the needed funds to ensure all Californians have access to affordable healthcare.