Gov. Bush wants to make Medicaid more like private insurance

[Judi Lynn]

Gov. Bush wants to make Medicaid more like private insurance


Associated Press

Last update: January 12, 2005

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush wants to transform the state's Medicaid program into a system more like private insurance, saying it will otherwise collapse under its own costs.

Bush floated his plan Tuesday, saying the 40-year-old health care safety net for uninsured nursing home patients and the poor is in danger of failure without a complete revamping because of double digit annual cost increases that can't be predicted. He cited Tennessee, whose governor this week said nearly half the adults covered by that state's program would have to be dropped because of rising costs.

Bush said the plan was still a work in progress, but he envisions giving people with different health care needs more flexibility to choose between plans, including some run by private companies, and rewards those who make healthy lifestyle choices, such as not smoking. And he proposes taking a maze of government rules on what is covered out of the system.

"They will deal directly with their doctors rather than government to make their health care decisions," Bush said.
(snip/...)

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Politics/Florida/03FloridaPOLF01011205.htm

[Clark2008]

1. Citing Tennnessee?

This is why Tennessee's failed!! Idiot!!

Tennessee's TennCare program failed, individual fraud withstanding, because it was run like a private healthcare company!! There were limited partnerships with HMOs and doctors had to sign on for patients to receive coverage and patients could only go to those doctors.

I thought baby Bush was brighter than his brother. Apparently not.

(P.S. I was a reporter in Tennessee when TennCare took over. I did several stories on its implimentation. I think I know how it worked.)

[rodeodance]

5. guess the "flexibility" and "choices" were only rhetoric!!! (as usual)

[punpirate]

2. First step to dumping...

... elderly and high-risk patients from the program. Florida wants retirees to come to Florida to help their economy, but, apparently, only if they're healthy.

[Disturbed]

3. Jeb is a Silverspoon Sociopath just like...

shrub and the others of the Bush litter.

[sherilocks]

9. Medicaid is a program for the poor

and it is not the same as Medicare. Not too long ago, when a person migrated from another state to Florida and applied for AFDC and/or Medicaid, they would secretly issue them a bus ticket back to the state they came from. For all I know, the state is still doing it.

[punpirate]

10. Well, yes...

... and many of those poor are elderly and retired and in nursing homes, as the article suggests. A fair number are long-time Florida workers, and others came from elsewhere to retire in Florida, and then became ill and exhausted their savings to pay for those nursing homes, which sort of reinforces my point about Florida wanting healthy retirees only....

Cheers.

[tsuki]

4. We had a state sponsored health insurance for those that could

not get insurance because of health issues. You paid a premium that you could afford. Guess who torpedoed it? Jebster. Too costly.

We had buying groups for small business to buy into health insurance. To represent the small biz regional group, the insurance companies had to bid. Guess who torpedoed it? Jebster. Too costly.

Medicaid...Guess who'll torpedo it? Jebster.

[gnofg]

6. repubs have always

hated medicare and SS. They want everything privitized. no surprise here

[0007]

7. ....you forgot unions, they hate all Social Programs

But they love organized crime.

[Supersedeas]

8. Privatization is contagious, no? Got's to make contributors hhhaaapppyyy

[underpants]

11. The problem isn't the cost of Medicaid it is the cost of healthcare

Once again they are ignoring (or not mentioning) one side of the equation.

[Moderator]

12. duplicate topic, please discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1142457