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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPerdue goes to bat for PeachCare in Washington
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue pleaded Thursday with Congress to save Georgia’s PeachCare program, saying “time is of the essence” with the future healthcare needs of poor children in jeopardy.
“We’re all familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan,” Perdue told members of the Senate Committee on Finance. “Why can’t we all be Good Samaritans?”
PeachCare, which provides health coverage for 273,000 eligible children in Georgia, faces a $131 million federal funding shortfall.
Speaking on behalf of the Southern Governors’ Association, Perdue said the funding formula for the 10-year-old State Children’s Health Insurance Program is broken.
“The fact that [Georgia] has already enrolled 70,000 more children than the formula says we have eligible is an indication that there’s a serious flaw in the funding formula,” Perdue said.
If Congress does not renew CHIP, the PeachCare program will be completely depleted of federal funds by March, he said.
“The money is there,” Perdue told reporters after the hearing. “But it is misallocated. Why can’t we just fund children’s health care with the numbers we know we already have?”
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Health Care
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By catlady
February 1, 2007 4:46 PM | Link to this
Could Peachcare not charge higher premiums or have more financial expectations (copays) of the parents of children covered? And how can we enroll more children than are eligible?
By catlady
February 1, 2007 4:50 PM | Link to this
The attitude I see from parents of my students is, if we can’t qualify for Medicaid, I am not spending my money buying Peachcare. I wonder how many families on Peachcare are just over the Medicaid threshhold, and how many are almost ineligible due to too “much” money? And how much it would cost (packs of cigarettes or 6 packs of beer) for families who decline the opportunity to purchase the insurance. Anyone know?
By Elizabeth
February 2, 2007 8:06 AM | Link to this
I hate to see our children lose PeachCare, but we parents have to take responsibility for our children. We need to take care of our seniors with Medicaid not the children.
If the state needs to charge more for PeachCare then they need to do so.
By RJ
February 2, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this
Elizabeth, This issue is about Gov. Perdue’s priorities. He can find $50 million for boat ramps but can’t find money in the $500 million surplus to continue health care coverage for children of working class families. This is the group of voters who overwhelmingly re-elected him. This is the group of voters who, during the campaign, said they trusted him to do the right thing. What a disappointment!
By JB
February 6, 2007 12:33 PM | Link to this
70,000 over, current administration/legislature feel asleep at the switch on this one. RJ nailed it….. PRIORITIES
By Aime
February 6, 2007 1:53 PM | Link to this
As a state employee I dont qualify for Peach care. Even though my income is only slightly higher then the medicaid requirements. I would gladly pay 7 bucks a month Heck I would pay 50 bucks a month. Instead of the 85 bucks I pay for health insurance alone. The 50 buck extra I pay for dental.
But then again Bush should NOT be giving BILLIONS to a civil war and not helping people at home.
By LandraD
February 6, 2007 3:09 PM | Link to this
Catlady, it is nice to know that some people do not have to worry about healthcare for loved ones. I pay $52 dollars a month into Peachcare, I do not smoke any kind of cigarettes and I do not drink six packs of beer… Next question!!!!
By George D from Rome, GA.
February 8, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this
I find it interesting that we sent 5.1 Billion Dollars, in cash on on Military Transports, after we had toppled Sadam’s Statue, because it was said Iraq, had no legitamate national banking system….well maybe so…but you do not send that much money to the middle of a war zone, and hang your children out to dry, because they have no health insurance resources, to rely on.