One of the more annoying trends in politics is the fascination with passing feel-good bills; pieces of legislation whose stated purpose sound just grand, but whose actual details inevitably contain serious flaws. The current measure awaiting Governor Gregoire's signature, ostensibly to improve health care access for children fits such a description with style.
While backers of the bill rejoice that more kids will be covered by health insurance (by itself a good outcome), the P-I doesn't beat around the bush in declaring the measure a glorious step forward towards single-payer health care. Grrr.
The facade with which this bill has been embraced is more tellingly revealed by a post by Lynn Allen at Evergreen Politics. Compare that to past analysis of the bill here at Sound Politics.
Allen is excited the legislation will help cover children "who are currently not able to obtain basic health care." Is that why analysis of the bill said six out of every ten expected enrollees already have private sector coverage? It sure sounds like lots of them are "able to obtain basic health care."
Allen also crows about Senator Chris Marr's leadership on the bill, supposedly to aid the "working poor." Is that why families that will eventually be eligible for this subsidized coverage - up to 300% of the federal poverty level - have incomes above the median in 37 of Washington's 39 counties? That sounds like subsidizing the middle class with scarce tax dollars to me.
I firmly support the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) being used to provide this expanded coverage. The original intent of the program was to provide coverage for kids up to 200% of poverty, with states having the option to expand upward (generally toward 250% of poverty). That program has generally worked in covering kids actually falling under the umbrella of "working poor." This bill takes the policy far beyond that reasonable goal.
This is exactly the sort of fiscally irresponsible behavior observers warned Democrats against when they assumed their expanded majorities in Olympia. Plus, the P-I reveals the true intent of some of the bill's supporters. Charming.
Posted by Eric Earling at March 09, 2007 04:14 PM | Email ThisSo if anyone thinks health care access and treatment will be anything close to what is available now, they are very sadly mistaken. It just can happen given the realities of the economics.
Posted by: RJK on March 9, 2007 05:41 PMMrs. Gregoire can campaign for re-selection in November 2008, harping about the expansion of children's medical insurance. Then, after her re-selection has been certified in December 2008, she can declare that the state budget doesn't have nearly enough money to do this, and keep children's health coverage exactly where it is right now.
Posted by: Richard Pope on March 9, 2007 06:20 PMOkay, that is a stretch, but how about this. The cook at Pizza Hut wants a day off to see Blues Traveler and calls in sick. The boss calls his bluff and tells him to get a doctor's note knowing that the state will pay for it. The guy tries to make an appointment but after a 45 minute automated phone tree finds out that if he wants to be seen in the next two months he has to go to the emergency room. Now the taxpayers are paying who knows how many thousands of dollars so this jerk can skip out.
Of course the way to address this fake illness is with a fake cure so enter the federally funded witch doctor that could prescribe some green tea, aromatherapy and magic crystals to realign his aura. Since this type of medical treatment requires no skill or results whatsoever, it would be a race to the bottom to see which unemployed "herb" fanatic would be able to offer their skills for the lowest cost.
Once this race to the bottom happens, illegal immigrants (or undocumented health professionals?) would be the logical providers of such low cost care. So there. We have provided a fake cure for a fake illness and hard working immigrants are doing jobs that American doctors won't do. (Not for $7 an hour anyway) Everybody wins!
Thanks, but no thanks.
Posted by: katomar on March 9, 2007 06:48 PMAnd his birthday was last week. I wonder what Our Fearless Leadership did to commemorate this?
Posted by: Zeke on March 9, 2007 08:52 PMYou speak volumes in your post. I will add another.
If you want your elderly parents to get life saving surgeries, that only prolong maybe a year or two, then forget it, with national healthcare. They perceive old age as a "life lived full", with no need for "investment".
I don't think many here (US) would stand for that.
Posted by: Chris on March 9, 2007 09:02 PMIndustrial Insurance.
And of course, Doctors, employers and injured workers all unanimously laude the system.
In a bumper sticker:
"Like L&I? You'll LOVE statewide state run health care"
Posted by: anon on March 9, 2007 10:04 PM...as long as you are willing to hand over 80-90% of your paycheck to the govt. #6 is dead on.
and--do you think ANY government program will EVER be contained? it's like expandable insulation foam--looks simple, but once squirted...
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on March 10, 2007 02:09 AMMost people has seen our fire dept Paramedics. Yes they have them too, but the equipment & drugs they carry on their rigs is small and always at the point of running out. Having a major heart attack there can be your death sentence.
If (carbon based #2) Still thinks that gov health care is a good idea, buddy just look at what is happening at the VA and there is YOUR health care in your face. Enjoy it.... if you dare.
For me NO thanks!
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on March 10, 2007 08:49 AM"And his birthday was last week. I wonder what Our Fearless Leadership did to commemorate this?"
Uh, how about capturing the Al Qaeda leader in Iraq? Would that qualify? Check the wires. It's up this morning.
Posted by: katomar on March 10, 2007 09:15 AMTrust me, the "medical professionals" that will accept that plan, you do not want near you.
The two decent people I ran into in that system finally quit over being overworked and shoveling massive amounts of BS (and found much better paying jobs).
What I have is so slightly better than nothing. Might be useful for catastrophic...
Got tired of chasing the people that would accept the state plan who never listen, treat symptoms or just ignore the obvious (I'm no medical professional, but I have lot of time to research and I am not stupid) and get highly insulted when you try to participate in your own care.
I'd like to say there have to be some good ones in that system, but anyone who is any good at all is out of it quickly into decent pay and working condions.
Spit...
Posted by: fox3 on March 11, 2007 01:24 AMhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/306507_kidhealthed.asp#
Posted by: Ron Hebron on March 11, 2007 07:32 AMto me, it's a disaster. i'll take the capitalistic/private method with its warts any day. once created, that universal helath juggernaut will consume all our taxes & efforts for its own continued life, not for excellence in care.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on March 13, 2007 05:48 AM