Free Health Care Program For Children in Hawaii Ends After 7 Months

[JoshLowry]

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.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...,7655544.story


This is a microcosm of free health care. Socialism doesn't work!

I can't believe they are really surprised that people stopped paying after a free option came along.




Angelatc submitted this to VOTEmotion where I found it. Thanks!

Emote it: http://votemotion.com/links/4272/

[Pete]

I can't believe they are really surprised that people stopped paying after a free option came along.

Well, the public simply wasn't complying with the philosophy, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Clearly, those who took advantage of the system should have been subject to severe penalties, up to and including prison.

With just a little more tweaking, certainly this program will work in the United States. Socialism has never worked just because it's never been done right.

[JoshLowry]

Well, the public simply wasn't complying with the philosophy, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Clearly, those who took advantage of the system should have been subject to severe penalties, up to and including prison.

With just a little more tweaking, certainly this program will work in the United States. Socialism has never worked just because it's never been done right.

My sarcasm meter needs new batteries. The two smilies at the end indicate sarcasm, right? Please say yes.

[yongrel]

Good.

[Pete]

My sarcasm meter needs new batteries. The two smilies at the end indicate sarcasm, right? Please say yes.

Oh, yeah!

[liberteebell]

Oh NO!!1 Say it isn't so!!!!!! Those dang Hiwaiians must not care about the chiiiiiiiiiiillllldren.

[angelatc]

This was my "roll my eyes" statement:

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."

She doesn't want to lose her biggest customer. Imagine that.

WHo the hell posted this is grassroots??? (just kidding!)

[JoshLowry]

This was my "roll my eyes" statement:


She doesn't want to lose her biggest customer. Imagine that.

WHo the hell posted this is grassroots??? (just kidding!)

You submitted the link but didn't emote it!

http://votemotion.com/links/4272/turnout/


Moved to Health Freedom.

[jkm1864]

What other course of action did You expect the people to take? I wonder if the same people would do the same thing with welfare? You know it kind of makes You think doesn't it?

[BagOfEyebrows]

You'd think that people who were paying for health insurance wouldn't mind also subsidizing everyone else's childrens' health insurance that ends up being better than their own health insurance for their own children... it's hard to understand what the problem was. (sarcasm, too.)

What should have been done is this: those in government and/or not in government who wanted to financially care for children who didn't have health insurance, they should have followed the route of Shriners Hospitals, which are all over the United States of America, and do NOT receive state or federal funding (which also means no state or federal beurocracy/red tape), they run solely on VOLUNTARY DONATIONS and the general humanitarian idea of 'goodwill towards mankind.'

Then, they could set up a social/community or even church-based group to collect funds and create either a health insurance for children and/or a hospital or doctor's office for them in each community that they felt needed it.

Doing these types of social efforts through the force of government is brokering something that can't be brokered... helping out those less fortunate than ourselves isn't supposed to be something done by 'the government', and it's only OUR responsiblity on a voluntary, human, personal and private level... each person has to navigate, manage and protect their OWN 'charity' and goodwill towards mankind... it is between themselves and their creator (and/or their personal ideologies.)

In these trying times, charity begins at home, too - many of us have older relatives or younger siblings struggling to make ends meet. When prosperity returns (and it will), then the kindness can be extended, and it's only kind if it's voluntary and done with the heart/mind or both, only kind if it abides by the principles of don't lie, cheat or steal, and only kind if it is human to human, and not human to government to human...

The government can NOT take from us our connection to each other in this very important aspect of mankinds' relationship with each other as individuals, as neighbors, as communities and as 'one.'

Socialists have wasted too much time, effort and energy on trying to force government into this sacred and/or personal/private mix... it is not government's right or duty, and it is not 'compassionate' to steal from each of us our close connection and caring nature towards each other.

I don't want government to play a role in my charitable giving nor my volunteering... that is MY connection to my fellow man. That is between ME and MY CREATOR. The government is not allowed to be in it, morally, spiritually or legally.

sorry for the rant... I seriously only meant to type out a paragraph or two, then my brain and heart go 'SAY THE REST.'

on a bright note, I did have a (potentially former) socialist tell me today (I gave her Ron Paul's book, Manifesto, some weeks ago) that she was going to write in Ron Paul for President (it's legal in our state.) She wears 'health care for all' pins and everything, so it's been a long few months of discussions about the role of government. I like a challenge. She's VERY bright, and I knew if she just knew/read the facts and the truth, it would all turn out okay eventually.

and today, finally, it did. I hugged her.

[liberteebell]

Well done, BagofEyebrows!

[Fox McCloud]

I talked with a friend of mine who lives in Spain (a country that has free universal healthcare)....not surprisingly, it's a lot like Canada; looonnnngg waiting lists, even more important and/or dire procedures. He also said that private insurance is becoming more and more popular, just for the fact it can get you into places a lot quicker.

what's so sad is how healthcare in the US used to be really competitive and cheap at one point in time, but the AMA pretty much ruined it by cartelization of the medical field *sigh* http://libertariannation.org/a/f12l3.html

just imagine if we would have stuck with that, no one would be complaining about healthcare in the US.

[JenH88]

Surprise surprise.. you mean people just take the free hand out when they don't need it, just because it's there?! LOL.. no way..