Washblog || Gregoire-Rossi Wrangle over Children's Health Care

Gregoire-Rossi Wrangle over Children's Health Care

By The Country Doc
Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:05:52 AM PST
Section: For Washington Topic: Health

Yesterday's The Olympian ran an insightful piece by Adam Wilson on Washington state's history of wrangling over how/if to insure the state's children in the Gregoire/Rossi era (http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/617863.html). A glance at the figure included tells the story-the number of children with Medicaid has increased dramatically under Chris Gregoire's watch. The full story is well worth a read as it looks at Rossi's budgets in the state senate and efforts on his parts to reduce the number of kids on Medicaid without having a mechanism to see that they are insured elsewhere. It demonstrates how this has been a top priority the Governor.

Now I am not a big fan of Medicaid. While an unpopular position among many, I do believe that Medicaid patients should be required to pay a nominal ($1-5) co-pay to help reduce needless and expensive ER visits (probably worth a blog entry of its own at some point). For purely selfish reasons I'm not a big fan of any insurance that pays me 48 cents on the dollar of what I charge for my services.

Despite my frustration with the state Medicaid system I gladly accept this for children than to face the alternative. I never feel slimier and the antithesis of the doctor that I want to be than those days in which I see a child from a family of the working poor for a preventive exam and at the end of the appointment I hand them an expensive bill to go settle with my staff.

< I can't retire while Mr. Rossi's brand remains part of America's health care package. | Photo of mother at gravesite referenced by Colin Powell endorsement of Barack Obama >

Gregoire-Rossi Wrangle over Children's Health Care | 2 comments (2 topical)

Public-Private Partnership

Group Health contributed $1 million to the program for children in King County and $1 million statewide. Not buying coverage to get the patients, into the program. I think that is beter organized and has a bigger bang than writing off patients as 'charity'.

My experience with people on Basic Health and Healthy Options is that it's sliding scale, they do pay nominally for coverage and it includes copays.

The difference for my friend with asthma was that he did not go to the ER, he actually got medication that managed his condition. Same for his daughter. Plus, he had the pride as a working parent to be providing health care for himself and child.

by ktkeller on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 12:55:57 PM PST

* 1 none 0 *

How Rossi the candidate or politician lives with

Rossi the man leaves me confounded every time I ponder the question.
This guy, had a rough upbringing, single alcoholic mother, lived in the public housing projects, and would certainly not have had insurance in those days.
How Dino advocates for less access to coverage now that he has bagged a few million is, well, just hard to understand.

Same thing when you look at his Teacher union paid step father and coal mining grand father.
How he is so anti union is hard to understand.

Also, it is funny that spell check corrects Dino to Dingo.

by Particle Man on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 11:53:45 AM PST

* 2 none 0 *

Gregoire-Rossi Wrangle over Children's Health Care | 2 comments (2 topical)

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