California governor vetoes health plan.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed an ambitious, single-payer health plan in September that would have provided comprehensive medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage to every state resident.

The plan, known as the California Health Insurance Reliability Act and sponsored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, was expected to save the state almost $8 billion in the first year while improving health care access to those who currently have no routine source of care.

Schwarzenegger criticized the legislation for being "socialized medicine," according to a Sept. 5 statement, that would "reduce a person's ability to choose his or her own physician, make people wait longer for treatment and raise the cost of that treatment."

Kuehl said Schwarzenegger refused to meet with her to discuss the measure, which she believes would have reduced health care costs and "every person would have been able to select their own physician, dentist, hospital or pharmacy, and there would have been no unreimbursed care."