Hawaii ending universal child health care
By ersmommy1
@ersmommy1 (12587)
United States
October 17, 2008 8:44am CST
It was only 7 months old. 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. Now the people who really needed it won't be able to get it.
What do you think made people who already had healthcare become greedy? Do you think it was greed?
2 people like this
7 responses
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
17 Oct 08
It is sad to read that people who could afford paying for health services get it free and this hinders poor people to get health service for free.
@ersmommy1 (12587)
• United States
17 Oct 08
Yes it is. I have a few members of my family who don't have coverage. Scary.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
26 Jan 09
That is most unfortunate. I am sorry to hear that it is being dropped because of that and now the kids won't be helped who needed it. Maybe if they penalized those who dropped theirs just to get it free that they would have to wait 6 months to be eligible if they dropped it on purpose just to get on the program.
@DaddyOfTheRose (2934)
• United States
19 Oct 08
That would certainly be a complication. Shame they couldn't figure out a way to weed out the needy from the unneeded.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
17 Oct 08
See that's the problem with plans like that. They should have set an income limit on it. Plus you have to think of how much it would cost to cover every child, eligable or not. It's darn expensive. Funny thing is Obama wants to make free health care a national thing for all ages. If it didn't work in Hawaii, how is it going to work across the whole country?
On the other hand, personally I wish they had something like that here in NY because our copays and other fees are killing us. I wouldn't drop our private insurance if it were similiar to the Hawaiian coverage, but it would be nice if there was something that could cover are extra charges for us, like a secondary insurance. Even if just for the kids, that would save us so much money and a huge headache.
@MysticTomatoes (1053)
• United States
10 Nov 08
It was abuse, plain and simple. I know here in the bay area, we have a medicaid for children and one for adults that are 'unable' (read unwilling) to get a job and pay for it themselves. It should be a crime to abuse the system like some people do. People are going to the ED for non-emergent reasons and are eating up funds left and right. A simple visit to the ED for something minor such as a cut or stitches can run multiple thousands of dollars, where as that same visit to a doctor will only run you a few hundred dollars.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I think it was greedy of them to do that. My family cannot affors any kind of healthcare and cannot get any kind of assistance for it either.
