This health care plan seems like it has more flaws than the bailout bill.
A news brief on "CNN Newsroom" Oct. 17 said that Hawaii's universal health care program for children would be hit with the "budget ax."
The screen said "Hawaii's Budget Ax" and anchor Heidi Collins reported that, "For the past seven months it's been the only state in the nation to offer universal healthcare for children. Now that program is being dropped."
But the brief didn't go into detail about one of the main reasons why the program was being axed: abuse of the "free" system.
A Hawaii state official said that families were "dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan," according to the Associated Press.
According to the Hawaii Reporter, the state administration was concerned about the Keiki Care Plan's enrollment process because it didn't make sure that children were ineligible for Medicaid and its superior benefits.
"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free ... I don't believe that was the intent of the program," Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services, said to the AP.
The state will stop funding the Keiki Care Plan, a basic health insurance program for some 2,000 children, beginning Nov. 1. The program was a public-private partnership with Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), which will pay to cover the children through the end of 2008.
—Paul Detrick is a research analyst at the Business & Media Institute.
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A Hawaii state official
October 17, 2008 - 14:05 ET by Chris NormanA Hawaii state official said that families were "dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan".
Oh, you've just got to bitterly love the unintended (?) consequences that bedevil liberal schemes and programs.
McNotObama '08
you see Chris?
October 17, 2008 - 14:07 ET by candanceIt's not that government healthcare is bad - it's that we just didn't do it correctly and those darn racist neocons scammed the system out of greed.
Let's try it again on a national scale. We'll surely get better results then.
Like a bunch of Wile E.
October 17, 2008 - 14:14 ET by Chris NormanLike a bunch of Wile E. Coyotes, they'll go back to the drawing board.
Liberal Government - the Acme Company of economic/social plans, schemes, and products...
McNotObama '08
very apt description
October 17, 2008 - 14:15 ET by mbuelLiberals are like the coyote.
An idea fails miserably killing people in the process (various incarnations of marxism), and the Coyote (liberals) think that THEY can do it better. They can re-invent the wheel and make it work where it's utterly failed in other countries.
Palin has accomplished great things, while Obama has continued to make empty promises that the world owes you a living.
The difference being, when
October 17, 2008 - 14:16 ET by Chris NormanThe difference being, when their crappy programs don't work, we all fall off the cliff and have a boulder land on us...
McNotObama '08
That's marxism
October 17, 2008 - 22:01 ET by mbuelTrickle up poverty. In order to "equalize" us it drags everyone down to the lowest common denominator. It works alot like a multitiered waterfall with pools at the top. When they are brimming with success and wealth that spills over to the lower pools, which in turn fill up with wealth and spill over.
In America people are constantly shifting "classes". Not in Obama's America though. He's going to take from the top pools. The top TEN percent currently pay ~75% of the income tax burden. All of the people within this range (and possibly MANY more) would be subject to Obama's tax policy of stealing water from the upper pools.
What this means is that the upper pools will have less wealth to trickle down, and the 33% of Americans not paying taxes will blow their 1000 dollar "tax rebate" on something that WILL NOT increase production in the US. And from the poll standpoint, if we take water from the top pools and bypass the middle pools the middle pools will dry up, forcing them lower.
I don't think people TRULY understand how devastating higher tax policy would be on our country.
paging Shawn
October 17, 2008 - 14:05 ET by candanceThanks CNN. Nice to know the nuanced, complex reasons behind the decision are being explained to voters. Oh, and thanks for not mentioning the party that insitituted the plan or which presidential candidate endorses a similar plan for the country.
Government healthcare failing...move along, nothing to see....
candance
October 17, 2008 - 14:14 ET by larry on LIit's best not to wake sleeping dogs,drunks and liberals.
Maybe CNN should apply this example to other 'plans'...
October 17, 2008 - 14:12 ET by c5thenCan they explain why people making over $250,000 a year would not re-adjust their salary and compensation to avoid the extra taxes?
If you can NOT work and be covered by medicade, medicare, welfare, food stamps, the Earned Income credit and get a $500 check from Obama, why would anyone want to work and give 35% of their pay to Obama just to fund the above freebies for the others?
If banks can make extremely bad investment decisions and then be bailed out by the US tax payer, why would any bank be hesitant to make the same bad decisions again?
TennCare and Mass Health
October 17, 2008 - 14:27 ET by wizardjrHow to bankrupt a state: health care welfare.
How to bankrupt a nation: national health care.
America is overflowing with free riders and ripoff artists. The lack of morality and ethics is dreadful. Our type of democracy can only survive with a moral population. Game over.
I'm all for things Massachusetts does
October 17, 2008 - 15:20 ET by YahooWatcherlike their health plan system and queer weddings. Anything they can do to lure liberals from NY is appreciated.
If they lured all the
October 17, 2008 - 15:24 ET by Chris NormanIf they lured all the liberals from New York, just how many people would be left in New York? Four or five? :)
McNotObama '08
Geez whiz I have to wonder
October 17, 2008 - 14:31 ET by dscottGeez whiz I have to wonder what the state of Taxachuetts universal health care plan is? http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/bg1953.cfm
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
UK
October 17, 2008 - 20:19 ET by flyoverlandI loved hearing the NHS in the UK has purchased private healthcare for its employees because the waits were so long and they were out sick so long the lines at the NHS (socialized system) were getting too long. I think that says it all.
This is how it works
October 18, 2008 - 16:10 ET by 10ksnookerCoomunsim didn't fail, they just ran out of other people's money to give away.
So how long before everybody wants agovernment job ...
They didn't have the right leader.
October 19, 2008 - 12:06 ET by mbuelIf they had the one, centralized planning would have succeeded.
Before voting this fall everyone should watch this.
(yes I'm spamming it, but it's important to get out there.)
http://www.youtube.c...
(20/20 critical of ALL government planning)
Palin has accomplished great things, while Obama has continued to make empty promises that the world owes you a living.
Why work??
October 18, 2008 - 16:01 ET by 10ksnookerWhen the pies are free.