Friday, November 20, 2009
Health Gregoire May Cut Basic Health—Entirely
Posted by Eli Sanders on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Listening to KUOW's Weekday just now, on which Governor Christine Gregoire is talking about the dramatic cuts that are going to be needed to deal with the state's $2.6 billion budget shortfall. Among the programs she says are on chopping block: Basic Health.
Host Steve Scher asked Gregoire if she was just talking about trimming the program's budget, or about cutting the entire program.
Her answer: cutting the entire program.
4
we've been hearing about the loss of Maternity Support Services for a couple of weeks now. this has been threatened before but this time looks serious. i agree with 3, its time to let your legislator know if you don't like this cut.
5
Can you say Public Option?
I knew you could.
Look, so long as capitalism can push social costs onto the lowest paid individuals and all the risk associated with them - and avoid those costs going to corporations and wealthy individuals - it will.
Poor people don't employ lobbyists who give campaign donations, after all.
I knew you could.
Look, so long as capitalism can push social costs onto the lowest paid individuals and all the risk associated with them - and avoid those costs going to corporations and wealthy individuals - it will.
Poor people don't employ lobbyists who give campaign donations, after all.
6
Time to push HARD real HARD to tax religious groups that get involved in politics. Billions are being lost with this exemption.
7
No health care for the poor and higher taxes. Glad I voted for Gregoire twice.
How could Rossi have done more damage than our current state administration?
Democrats are sunk in 2012.
How could Rossi have done more damage than our current state administration?
Democrats are sunk in 2012.
8
We need a different model for indigent health care. Right now we try to buy a few poor people coverage that is nearly as good as what rich people paying for themselves get. Oh, it might have different co-pays or no vision or dental. But it doesn't say "we won't cover the expensive, better cancer treatment, only the 20-year-old cheap one that gives you lower survival odds".
What we need instead is an NHS-like system for indigent care. Given a pot of money, use it to buy as many QUALYs for the indigent as it can. That definitely means shutting out the indigent from the more expensive procedures. But that also frees up dollars that can be used to buy more years of life for more people.
As a bonus, by creating a stark divide between the really great treatments available to those paying their own way and the minimal treatments available to those living on the public dime, it gives people a strong incentive to get off the public plan.
What we need instead is an NHS-like system for indigent care. Given a pot of money, use it to buy as many QUALYs for the indigent as it can. That definitely means shutting out the indigent from the more expensive procedures. But that also frees up dollars that can be used to buy more years of life for more people.
As a bonus, by creating a stark divide between the really great treatments available to those paying their own way and the minimal treatments available to those living on the public dime, it gives people a strong incentive to get off the public plan.
9
its really time to create a limited income tax for those who make over a mil a year, don't you think?
11
Close all the loopholes, reduce the sales tax back to 8%, increase gas and cigarette taxes, change the state constitution to allow highway transportation dollars to be applied partially to social welfare programs. what do we need more, a new multibillion dollar SOV car-only tunnel downtown, or a replacement multibillion bridge across 520 with dedicated transit/HOV lanes? I'm so sick of the roads and transit being constructed to benefit car drivers, its time to turn it around.
12
great ideas, but not going to happen with our current lot of democratic elected officials who are too scared to be progressive.
they're the ones telling us to spend $4 billion dollars on a two mile four lane highway that will shave off 6-11 minutes of travel time thru (not to) downtown, while we cut teachers, basic health, etc.
They are running a tax the poor favor the rich RACKET.
they're the ones telling us to spend $4 billion dollars on a two mile four lane highway that will shave off 6-11 minutes of travel time thru (not to) downtown, while we cut teachers, basic health, etc.
They are running a tax the poor favor the rich RACKET.
13
After listening to her on KUOW for a bit this morning all I could think about was one thing... How much money would it save the state if we A) Stop arresting people for petty drug crimes statewide, B) Release people currently incarcerated for petty drug crimes, and C) Decriminalize weed and tax it like we do alcohol and cigarettes.
Sure the last one is made more difficult thanks to federal regulations, but are we at least considering the first two options? I'm guessing no. And for real, does anyone know approximately how much the state of Washignton would stand to save if we did A and B? It seems like someone probably has that data and I would venture to guess that it would take at least a decent chunk out of the shortfall. Maybe enough to preserve healthcare and education?
Also, thank GAWD 1033 failed. I can't begin to imagine how fucked we'd be over the long haul if that load of crap had passed.
Sure the last one is made more difficult thanks to federal regulations, but are we at least considering the first two options? I'm guessing no. And for real, does anyone know approximately how much the state of Washignton would stand to save if we did A and B? It seems like someone probably has that data and I would venture to guess that it would take at least a decent chunk out of the shortfall. Maybe enough to preserve healthcare and education?
Also, thank GAWD 1033 failed. I can't begin to imagine how fucked we'd be over the long haul if that load of crap had passed.
14
Vote for Democratic and you get FUCKED. You can't turn chicken shit into chicken casserole. The Democrats are not, have never been, can never be a party of the people. They are corporate whores just like the Republicans except they smile when they fuck you.
15
"change the state constitution to allow highway transportation dollars to be applied partially to social welfare"
This is a comedy skit right? Good luck chasing those windmills....
This is a comedy skit right? Good luck chasing those windmills....
16
"They are corporate whores just like the Republicans except they smile when they fuck you."
So I guess you're fucked?
Vote Nader 2012!
So I guess you're fucked?
Vote Nader 2012!
17
@6 for the win.
Anonymous America-hating Republic Party of No commenters for the unpatriotic epic fail. Cowards.
Anonymous America-hating Republic Party of No commenters for the unpatriotic epic fail. Cowards.
18
Let her cut the program. She lacks the talent to make it work. Part of the problem is that the insurance companies participating are turning the screws down. We don't hear about this.
The quality of the physicians is dropping too because they aren't making the kind of
money they'd like. Well, this was predictable. Safeway and Wal-Mart are sucking the
system dry and guess who is paying for it ? The unemployed, who really need the
coverage.
Gregoire's logic: We'll bump up premiums a whopping 100% (unprecedented) and
give those who really need the coverage a choice: Drop out, so we don't have to
can you. And she blew this past the public as if we're supposed to accept it as
the kind of imaginative, creative thinking we'd expect from a governor. This is
unbelievable arrogance. Meanwhile, she throws her arms around her coveted State
employees, protecting them from any fallout whatsoever.
It doesn't matter what happens to Basic Health at this point. The only thing that does
matter is that she not be reelected for a third term. Whether through cigarette taxes,
Basic Health, or anything else Gregoire's forte is slamming the lower middle class
and poor to fill State coffers.
The quality of the physicians is dropping too because they aren't making the kind of
money they'd like. Well, this was predictable. Safeway and Wal-Mart are sucking the
system dry and guess who is paying for it ? The unemployed, who really need the
coverage.
Gregoire's logic: We'll bump up premiums a whopping 100% (unprecedented) and
give those who really need the coverage a choice: Drop out, so we don't have to
can you. And she blew this past the public as if we're supposed to accept it as
the kind of imaginative, creative thinking we'd expect from a governor. This is
unbelievable arrogance. Meanwhile, she throws her arms around her coveted State
employees, protecting them from any fallout whatsoever.
It doesn't matter what happens to Basic Health at this point. The only thing that does
matter is that she not be reelected for a third term. Whether through cigarette taxes,
Basic Health, or anything else Gregoire's forte is slamming the lower middle class
and poor to fill State coffers.
Comments (19) RSS