California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supporting health reform efforts

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday announced his support for President Obama's push for health care reforms.

The Associated Press reports that taking this position puts the Republican governor at odds with some of his colleagues in Congress: "In a statement, Schwarzenegger said he appreciated Obama's partnership with the states and his effort to hold down costs and improve quality. He urged lawmakers from both parties to 'move forward and accomplish these vital goals for the American people.' However, the moderate Republican did not endorse any of the Democratic-crafted bills in Congress" (Werner, 10/6).

The New York Times: "But he noted his own efforts at improving the health care system in California and urged bipartisan cooperation at the national level. … 'Our principal goals, slowing the growth in costs, enhancing the quality of care delivered, improving the lives of individuals, and helping to ensure a strong economic recovery, are the same goals that the president is trying to achieve,'" Schwarzenegger said in a release (Herszenhorn, 10/6). 

Kaiser Health News Daily Report details the coverage of other Republicans who have recently expressed support for health reform efforts.

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.