"Welcome to Peachcare for Kids Online application, Where affordable health insurance is available to Georgia's uninsured children." (www.peachcare.org)
In 1999 many Georgia families rejoiced as Peachcare became available. Peachcare offered health insurance for children who do not qualify for Medicaid but still live at or below a certain poverty level.
It was a relief to the working poor, the families on the edge, families you probably know.
Then in February of 2007 Georgia's Peachcare program announced that it would freeze enrollment due to budget shortfalls (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/62884.php)
The debates followed: What would happen to those children who still needed health insurance? Who's to blame for the lack of funding? Are physicians improperly billing the system? and Why? Is tax-supported health insurancenecessary? What are the other options?
It is no understatement to refer to Tax-Supported Health Insurance as a tangled web.
In order to make some sense of the topic, I began to explore the history of community health care.
The United States Social Security Administration website provides some
interesting historical information regarding tax-supported health
insurance in an introductory article on the topic:
http://www.ssa.gov/history/corningintro.html.
It is especially intriguing to note that the article traces the first "broad-gauged
compulsory health insurance law" to Prussia in 1854. There is even some
mention of early Greek city states providing health care to the poor.
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2 comments:
I, for one, am in favor of a socialized medical system. Our national healthcare system is beyond flawed, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds suffer the most under the current system. Have you seen the Michael Moore documentary Sicko. My husband and I became intrigued with France's medical system after seeing it.
All health care is rationed, and that's a fact. Even in countries with so-called universal care, some drugs and procedures are unavailable within the government system (or available only after long waits) because they are less cost-effective than other interventions. People who want heroic end-of-life care spent their own money for it and pull every string they can, as Marjorie said.
But how is care rationed by the various insurance plans underwritten by our tax dollars? How does the VA compare with S-Chip? From the patient's perspective,how well do those programs function in our own community?
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