WH: It's all about the children

[PeteyPirate]

As long as they get their own health insurance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/20/washington/21cnd-health.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

White House Acts to Limit Health Plan for Children

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: August 20, 2007
The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.

Administration officials outlined the new standards in a letter sent to state health officials on Friday evening, in the middle of a month-long Congressional recess. In interviews, they said the changes were aimed at returning the Children’s Health Insurance Program to its original focus on low-income children and to make sure the program did not become a substitute for private health coverage.

After learning of the new policy, some state officials said today that it could cripple their efforts to cover more children by imposing standards that could not be met. ...

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

They...do...not...care.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

Can one of you explain to me why middle class kids, an ovewhelming majority of whom already have health insurance, should be transfered from private insurance to govenment funded insurance? Then can you remind our studio audience how we're defining "chiildren"?

 

[deskslave]

Can one of you explain to me why middle class kids, an ovewhelming majority of whom already have health insurance, should be transfered from private insurance to govenment funded insurance? Then can you remind our studio audience how we're defining "chiildren"?

Well, how about because more and more middle-class kids, particularly of the lower-middle-class, minority variety, don't actually have the health insurance that you seem to believe is freely available to everyone. Their parents have to pay for things like rent, gas and, ya know, food and stuff.

And yes, some of them aren't covered because their parents make poor choices with their money. I wasn't aware that it was common practice in a civilized country to deny an 8-year-old access to routine medical care and vaccinations because his parents happen to make poor decisions. But, hey, if that's the way you think we should treat our kids, my apologies.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

Can one of you explain to me why middle class kids, an ovewhelming majority of whom already have health insurance, should be transfered from private insurance to govenment funded insurance? Then can you remind our studio audience how we're defining "chiildren"?

Well, how about because more and more middle-class kids, particularly of the lower-middle-class, minority variety, don't actually have the health insurance that you seem to believe is freely available to everyone. Their parents have to pay for things like rent, gas and, ya know, food and stuff.

And yes, some of them aren't covered because their parents make poor choices with their money. I wasn't aware that it was common practice in a civilized country to deny an 8-year-old access to routine medical care and vaccinations because his parents happen to make poor decisions. But, hey, if that's the way you think we should treat our kids, my apologies.

Not my opinion, IIRC about 75-80% of those who will be brought under the program are already covered - I think that included the lower class, not sure. When Congress comes up with a plan to cover those who don't, without providing reverse incentive for people to back their way in to the program, it will get significant bi-partisan support.

The most interesting ideas I've heard (but not carefully explored) are allow people to buy insurance across state lines, driving down insurance prices; untie insurance from employment, put the money into increased wages & have employees buy their own insurance, & allow them to buy cheap disaster insurance & pay for everything else out of pocket, driving down prices for medicine & doctors (see common antibiotics already).

 

[deskslave]

Can one of you explain to me why middle class kids, an ovewhelming majority of whom already have health insurance, should be transfered from private insurance to govenment funded insurance? Then can you remind our studio audience how we're defining "chiildren"?

Well, how about because more and more middle-class kids, particularly of the lower-middle-class, minority variety, don't actually have the health insurance that you seem to believe is freely available to everyone. Their parents have to pay for things like rent, gas and, ya know, food and stuff.

And yes, some of them aren't covered because their parents make poor choices with their money. I wasn't aware that it was common practice in a civilized country to deny an 8-year-old access to routine medical care and vaccinations because his parents happen to make poor decisions. But, hey, if that's the way you think we should treat our kids, my apologies.

Not my opinion, IIRC about 75-80% of those who will be brought under the program are already covered - I think that included the lower class, not sure. When Congress comes up with a plan to cover those who don't, without providing reverse incentive for people to back their way in to the program, it will get significant bi-partisan support.

The most interesting ideas I've heard (but not carefully explored) are allow people to buy insurance across state lines, driving down insurance prices; untie insurance from employment, put the money into increased wages & have employees buy their own insurance, & allow them to buy cheap disaster insurance & pay for everything else out of pocket, driving down prices for medicine & doctors (see common antibiotics already).

I just don't understand the notion that if people pay out of pocket, doctors and pharmaceutical companies will suddenly drive down prices. Why? Because people would realize how expensive it was and not like it? I don't like paying $3 a gallon for gas, but I haven't seen any signs that that's going to affect prices.

I also don't think giving people more money to buy insurance will work, because that money will all of a sudden be taxed, and so less will flow into people's pockets at the end of the day. (Yeah, yeah, there'll be tax credits, but what good is that if you don't have the cash in hand to pay the insurance company this month?) You'll also lose some of the protection that comes with group plans, and those of us with pre-existing conditions will find it much harder to get insurance.