Most Californians are in favor of the new health care bill recently approved by the Assembly.

A Field Poll found:

By a nearly three-to-one margin (64 percent to 23 percent), California voters are inclined to favor a major health care reform plan backed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, which is now making its way through the state legislature.

(See the post, "Assembly passes health reform legislation.")

These findings come from the latest Field Poll, conducted Dec. 10-17 among a random sample of 1,283 registered voters statewide.

This bill has garnered the support of:

• 74 percent of Democrats, 38 percent strongly and 36 percent somewhat.
  
• 59 percent of nonpartisans, 27 percent strongly and 32 percent somewhat.
• 52 percent of Republicans, 21 percent strongly and 31 percent somewhat.
  

And when it comes to paying for the $14.4 billion plan, most are in favor of passing the bill onto smokers.

A two-to-one majority (63 percent to 33 percent)  supports the state increasing cigarette taxes by $2 per pack to help pay for it.

Slightly more voters also support (47 percent) than oppose (41 percent) the idea of having the state continue operating the state lottery but issuing bonds against its future proceeds, with the proceeds devoted to health care, the poll found.

Voters don't want the state sales tax increased to fund the measure, though.

Generating the strongest opposition was increasing the state sales tax by one cent. Half of the state's registered voters oppose this idea, 40 percent strongly. Forty-six percent   favor this idea.

Considering the governor and Nunez want to see their proposal make in onto a ballot, these findings show what might happen if they succeed.

Do you agree with these findings? How should the bill be paid for?