Maine, Tennessee, Massachusetts Universal Healthcare Plans a Bust

Publius Forum ^ | 10/12/09 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

Both President Obama and the Democratic Congress have ignored the mess that three states have made of their economy and tax burden by attempting to create a public option and/or universal healthcare. Tennessee has its TennCare program, Maine has tried a "public option" program, and Massachusetts has its RomenyCare system that promises healthcare for all. Each of them has been a boondoggle for the taxpayers and has failed to deliver promised savings and enhanced coverage.

In fact, each of these states have begun to cut services to people because the costs have skyrocketed despite claims that "savings" would occur and that everyone would get more coverage.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal had a piece by Wendy Williams saying that the "fines" Massachusetts imposed on people who ostensibly didn't have insurance coverage -- an idea that Obama wants included in his Obamacare policies -- now falls even on people with insurance in the Bay State.

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

[Mobile Vulgus]

Gov't healthcare is already a failure and here we are trying to take it national!

[DBrow]

Oh but you see, these plans were state plans, planned by state people. A federal plan planned by federal people is sure to succeed, the federal people being superior to the mere state people and their tiny plans.

Besides, with a pool the size of Earth, we can all subsidize each other for free, whereas if the pool were smaller, subsidizing each other for everything would not work.

The states cannot take wealth away from enough people to assure economic justice. You need to redistribute wealth from everyone, not just from people in a tiny state.

Didn’t you take economics?

[Leisler]

If we nationalize, we can sell Treasures to the Chinese and they can pay for us now.

/libthink off

[TribalPrincess2U]

This is frontpage news, right?

[Vigilanteman]

You remind me of a story one of my old economics professors used to tell. He was definitely old school, but dry and witty. I don't remember the entire joke and he told it better, but the gist was that this farmer was buying hay for 80 cents a bale and selling them for 75 cents.

He just couldn't figure out how he kept on losing money until he discovered the obvious solution: he needed a bigger truck to haul the hay.

[stefanbatory]

I may need to re-evaluate my plans to move to TN...

[Coldwater Creek]

Wouldn’t affect you unless you were on the dole.

[stefanbatory]

I’d still have to pay for it, wouldn’t I?

[roses of sharon]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361485/posts

Maine’s ‘Public Option’ an Expensive Failure
http://www.heartland.org/publications/health%20care/article/25811/Maines_Public_Option_an_Expensive_Failure.html ^

Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 1:30:29 PM by roses of sharon

Government-Centric Failures

Maine has been on the leading edge of government-centric health care “reform” for years. It greatly expanded eligibility for its Medicaid programs, doubling the population receiving this taxpayer-subsidized health insurance for low-income residents. This move had the unintended consequence of increasing all medical costs due to the cost-shifting by providers to compensate for the lower reimbursement rates, and it still left 12 percent of the state’s population uninsured.

[Coldwater Creek]

No. You probably wouldn't be eligible unless you are at poverty income level. Tenncare is not offered to everyone.

[stefanbatory]

but those taxpayers who are not poor also pay for it, do they not? that’s usually how these government-run pyramid schemes work...