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View Full Version : Hawaii cancels Universal Health Care for children, running out of money



Little-Acorn
01-11-2010, 09:02 PM
Sure, the socialists assure us, Universal Health Care can succeed in the United States! No reason to think it might fail - all it needs is for the right people to be running it! Never mind that it fails every time it's tried.

One of the problems this time: People with health care, were dropping it to sign up for this "free" health care.

Can you imagine? The government offers them a way to save money, by getting "free" health care. And the people have the nerve to take them up on it! How anti-social(ist) can you get? They weren't supposed to do that! It's all THEIR fault, those greedy schlubs who should have paid while others got it for free! Don't they understand their proper place in the overall scheme of things? Why do they think they have the right to receive what they paid for with their tax money?

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,439607,00.html

Hawaii Ending Universal Child Health Care After 7 Mos.

Friday, October 17, 2008

HONOLULU — Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched.

Gov. Linda Lingle's administration cited budget shortfalls and other available health care options for eliminating funding for the program. A state official said families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.

"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."

State officials said Thursday they will stop giving health coverage to the 2,000 children enrolled by Nov. 1, but private partner Hawaii Medical Service Association will pay to extend their coverage through the end of the year without government support.

"We're very disappointed in the state's decision, and it came as a complete surprise to us," said Jennifer Diesman, a spokeswoman for HMSA, the state's largest health care provider. "We believe the program is working, and given Hawaii's economic uncertainty, we don't think now is the time to cut all funding for this kind of program."

Hawaii lawmakers approved the health plan in 2007 as a way to ensure every child can get basic medical help. The Keiki (child) Care program aimed to cover every child from birth to 18 years old who didn't already have health insurance — mostly immigrants and members of lower-income families.

It costs the state about $50,000 per month, or $25.50 per child — an amount that was more than matched by HMSA.

State health officials argued that most of the children enrolled in the universal child care program previously had private health insurance, indicating that it was helping those who didn't need it.

The Republican governor signed Keiki Care into law in 2007, but it and many other government services are facing cuts as the state deals with a projected $900 million general fund shortfall by 2011.

DragonStryk72
01-12-2010, 01:05 AM
What's gets me is the shock. I mean, what, every conservative in the country kept saying this is what would happen if they did universal coverage?

PostmodernProphet
01-12-2010, 09:23 AM
"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."


???...so this guy is the administrator of the program, and all he can say is he doesn't "believe" that was the intent?......does he not KNOW what the intent was?......could he not have drafted a program that would produce the desired intent?........couldn't a blind, one legged dog have figured out that people would opt for that which was free?.....

Trigg
01-12-2010, 01:21 PM
???...so this guy is the administrator of the program, and all he can say is he doesn't "believe" that was the intent?......does he not KNOW what the intent was?......could he not have drafted a program that would produce the desired intent?........couldn't a blind, one legged dog have figured out that people would opt for that which was free?.....

This is what will happen nationwide. If the gov. ups taxes on everything to pay for "free" healthcare, people won't be able to pay for private care.

The US will be left with 95% of the population on the "free" care and the other 5% able to pay for better coverage.

Meanwhile we will have a shortage of Dr's and rationed care.

DragonStryk72
01-13-2010, 03:34 PM
???...so this guy is the administrator of the program, and all he can say is he doesn't "believe" that was the intent?......does he not KNOW what the intent was?......could he not have drafted a program that would produce the desired intent?........couldn't a blind, one legged dog have figured out that people would opt for that which was free?.....

Of course they would, but the "administrator" isn't even the one who makes the rules, he is just the chief enforcer of those rules. As to the intent of the program, he only had 7-months of dealing with it, most likely, and therefore, is not particularly attached to the program itself