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DEL.ICIO.USStrike up the ‘Lone Ranger’ theme: Democrats to the rescue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Democrats in the state Capitol can’t order a box of toothpicks in the state Capitol without GOP permission. On the other hand, when it comes to Washington, suddenly they may have more clout than Gov. Sonny Perdue.
A delegation of state legislators, led by state Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) has quietly slipped away to the District of Columbia to meet with newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — or someone in her office. We haven’t heard how high they were able to reach.
The bipartisan group’s purpose is to get Pelosi’s backing for making a federal funding fix that would fill a $130 million-plus hole in PeachCare, the state’s insurance program for the children of working families. Accompanying Smyre are state Sens. Greg Goggans (R-Douglas) and Horacena Tate (D-Atlanta); and state Reps. Pat Gardner (D-Atlanta), Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) and Mickey Channell (R-Greensboro).
On Wednesday, Community Health Commissioner Rhonda Medows — who accompanied the legislative group to Washington — said Perdue had spoken to the White House about the pending crisis “two or three times.” But it’s Pelosi who holds the purse strings now.
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By RJ
January 18, 2007 2:30 PM | Link to this
Interesting indeed. Another fine example of who gets what, when, and how. Quite an act of commitment by the Democrats on behalf of the “least” among us.
No power is absolute. The sooner the Republican governance in Georgia come to this realization, and the sooner they began to make greater use of talents, abilities, and connections elsewhere, the sooner Georgia will be on an improved pathway.
By MrLiberty
January 18, 2007 3:46 PM | Link to this
Wow,
Peachcare has a $130 million + shortfall after only these few years. Who would have thought that government-run socialist charity health insurance would be a complete and abject failure? Everyone with a clue, that’s who. Why should the feds pick up the tab? Why not let Sonny pick up the tab. Why not let Arnold pick up the tab? He is planning the same failure and worse for Caleeforneeya.
Socialism doesn’t work folks. The problems we now see in health care stretch all the way back to the 1960’s when Medicare was started. Combine that with the push for health insurance (you can’t insure against doctor’s visits folks - what you can insure against is catastrophy) and you get a system where more money is being paid out for paper-pushing to third party payers and government bureaucrats (government money makes up half of all health care dollars) than goes to doctors for their services. Is it really any wonder they have to charge so much? Then lets not forget professional licensure practises. The AMA makes sure that there is always a shortage of doctors. They control who can run a medical school and who can get a doctor’s license. The states happily comply with laws that assist them in there tasks. Too few doctors and everyone can charge more. Then laws against easy access to medicines, laws against mid-wives and physician’s assistants and what they can do, laws against naturopathic physicians and strict restrictions on who can “practise medicine” and you have a system in which a small monopoly of self-serving folks control every aspect of what they dictate to be a very expensive service profession.
Health savings accounts, tax deductions for medical expenses, an end to professional licensure, an end to the war on drugs and prescription requirements, and an end to educational restrictions and we will see an immediate drop in the cost of medicine and a significant increase in the quality and availability of medical services. You know doctors made housecalls as recently as the 50’s?!
But you dont even want to pay a cent for a doctor’s visit. You think that medical care is a right, not a privaledge. It is neither. It is a cost of being alive and nobody should be forced to pay for anyone else.
My hope is that they don’t give the state any money. Then the magicians under the dome who thought that they could pull magic dollars out fo their a** to pay for this criminal program will have to figure out another way. Hopefully they will shut the program down and start working on the real root causes (see above).
By B. Day
January 18, 2007 6:20 PM | Link to this
Thankfully someone is trying to get the PEACHCARE program the funding it needs. This program is a legitimate, viable alternative to treating children in emergency rooms, or not providing medical treatment at all. It behooves all of us as Georgians and Americans to provide healthcare for those who can not otherwise have access to it.
Revamping the medical industry is long overdue, and will indeed reduce costs. Medical consumers should have access to pricing, alternatives, and ratings on hospitals, doctors, and specialists. Streamlining paperwork and records in the midst of vast abilities in technology will reduce medical costs significantly. I am hopefully the new congress will provide the monies needed quickly for PEACHCARE. It is a necessity, not a luxury.
Furthermore, who didn’t know that it would require democrats to do the right thing, not the dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest republicans?
By tribalecho
January 20, 2007 12:27 AM | Link to this
No Mr. Liberty, Peach Care is not socialism. Nor is single-payer health insurance. Some countries who have a single-payer system have a market-based provider system, some don’t. The US could figure out a better way if we weren’t trying to drown the government in a bath tub, as that famous right-winger Grover Norquist proposed.
Insurance in the old terms was about shared risk.
One Risk Pool, Indivisible, With Liberty And Justice For All.
You want a decent system? Make sure law-makers moms are in the same one you’re in.