Today's papers

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By Daniel Politi
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009, at 6:28 AM ET

The Los Angeles Times banners, while the Washington Post, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, California lawmakers finally passing a budget after a three-month battle. Legislators spent almost two full days locked in the Capitol and finally got the two-thirds majority they needed to pass a budget that closes the state's $42-billion deficit. But, as the LAT highlights, the fight isn't over as $5.8 billion in the budget depends on voters approving a series of ballot measures in a special election May 19. The NYT and WP say that the drama surrounding California's budget is a preview of what could soon be seen in state capitals across the country. With an economy that's larger than all but seven nations and a deficit that's larger than the expenditure of all but 10 other states, California clearly has outsized problems. "But with 40 states operating in the red, similar days of reckoning will soon be coming to state capitals from Florida to Arizona," notes the Post.

USA Today leads with a look at the increasing cost of acquiring individual health insurance at a time when more Americans are seeking the coverage because they lost their jobs. Individuals have no choice but to accept the higher rates because they don't have the power to negotiate with insurers. In the past few months, more people have been seeking out individual health coverage, and while insurance companies say the increases aren't out of the ordinary they do come as a shock to consumers who never experienced them when they were covered through an employer.

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Daniel Politi writes "Today's Papers" for Slate. He can be reached at todayspapers@slate.com.