BILL NUMBER:  AB 98
  VETOED	DATE: 10/11/2009




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 98 without my signature.

I have vetoed similar bills twice before.  The addition of this
mandate must be considered in the larger context of how it will
increase the overall cost of health care.  This, like other mandates,
only increases premiums in an environment in which health coverage
is increasingly expensive.

Maternity coverage is offered and available in today's individual
insurance market.  Consumers can choose whether they want to purchase
this type of coverage, and the pricing is reflective of that choice.
  While the perfect world would allow for all health conditions to be
covered, including maternity, I cannot allow the perfect to become
the enemy of the good.  There is a reason the individual insurance
market regulated by the Department of Insurance is growing ?
consumers are choosing policies they can afford.

Essentially, I am faced with choosing between covering fewer people,
but with better coverage ? or allowing more people to buy a policy
that offers reduced benefits at a lower cost.  It is not an easy
choice.  However, because I continue to have serious concerns about
the rising costs of healthcare and believe the potential benefits of
a mandate of this magnitude will translate to fewer individuals being
able to afford coverage, I cannot support this bill.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger