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DEL.ICIO.USSonny Perdue on SCHIP: ‘Give us more money, but don’t expand past health care for kids’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sonny Perdue was one of several governors to appear before Congress on Tuesday, to urge changes in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program — known as SCHIP nationally and PeachCare here.
Based on his prepared remarks, his was a mixed message. On one hand, Perdue said the funding formula for the program punishes success:
“Georgia has done well in implementing SCHIP. We’ve done too well - in fact, we’ve been penalized for it. We’ve enrolled so many kids in SCHIP that our percentage of uninsured children has dropped dramatically. As a state we’ve grown by over 1.5 million citizens since the inception of the program, however we’ve cut the number of uninsured children by over 22 percent.
“And because of a flawed funding model that partially bases states’ allotments on the number of uninsured children, Georgia, along with our neighbors like Mississippi and North Carolina, are facing growing shortfalls.
“The better you are at implementing SCHIP, the less funding you receive. If a state was 100 percent successful and reached all eligible uninsured children, its funding the next year would be drastically cut - because no children would be uninsured.”
But Perdue also condemned an expansion of the SCHIP program to adults — with all the passion of someone on a list of potential Republican vice presidential candidates:
“It is a grave mistake to expand taxpayer funded insurance to a level that undermines personal responsibility for those who are able to purchase private insurance on their own. By focusing funding and enrollment efforts on low income children, we are reaching those most in need, those who have no other options.
“It is not the role of government to provide health insurance for each and every citizen. Our role is to facilitate personal responsibility. We do this by giving people the information they need to make educated health care choices, and by creating tiers of options that help individuals graduate from public plans.
Comments
By Michael
February 26, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
Well said. Point out how this program rewards dependency while punishing self reliance. The better a states does the less funding you get and they you end up with more children uninsured. Do poorly and you get tons of cash and you can continue to cry about how many children are uninsured. Also it is nuts to want to expand the program by any amount. We need to stop encouraging people to be come wards of the state and start encouraging people to become self reliant and successful in life.
By Retired
February 26, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this
Punishing self-reliance is what big government is all about…whether it be health insurance, working hard to have a comfortable income, etc. The better a person does (or a state, as in the case of SCHIP), the more you pay…for you and for everyone else. It’s one thing to help low-income children…I dislike the idea that my income is taxed to give to adults that are too sorry to get out and work for themselves. Adversity can be overcome…plenty of people have done it. So, help the kids, but make the adults assume responsibility for their own choices.
By Parent
February 26, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
Okay, this man has proven he is a true idiot. Knocking off 15,000 children and DCH giving back to the feds $33 million and now next year we are going to get less because of how Sonny is having his peons run the program. And now his minions w/ the CMO jobs are trying to fix DHR. Please, more money into someone’s pockets and it sure isn’t mine or any health professional.
By OneForTheRoad
February 27, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
Dear Mr. Perdue,
I suggest that all government employees and elected officials be required to purchase private health insurance. Let’s even the playing field for all citizens.
By flip wilson
February 27, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
Perdoofus isn’t on anybody’s list for veep. This is smalltown newspaper bunk. Please give it a rest.
By benji
March 6, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this
A recent poll found that 86% of male and female voters in Georgia feel it’s very important we make sure that all Georgians, from kids to adults, and regardless of income, have access to health insurance that is secure and affordable.
Why all the rhetoric about personal responsibility?