Posted on 12/13/2007 11:12:10 AM PST by JZelle
Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday announced a plan to expand health care coverage to thousands of uninsured, low-income Virginians as the state faces a projected $641 million budget shortfall.
"One in seven Virginians still lack health insurance because their employers don"t provide it or because they cannot afford it," Mr. Kaine said. "As more citizens rely on our health care safety net for their most basic health needs, we must strengthen that system."
Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, said the two-year budget that he plans to present to the General Assembly on Monday will include about $25.5 million in new health care spending for families who are ineligible for Medicaid and earn up to twice the federal poverty level, or about $41,000 for a family of four.
About $10 million will fund free clinics. About $7.5 million will fund prenatal care for roughly 400 women and help more than 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 44 receive free screening for breast and cervical cancer.
About $7.7 million will pay some premium costs for the working uninsured. Under the governor's "VirginiaShare" health insurance program, the state would chip in up to one-third — not to exceed $75 — of the monthly health insurance premium cost, with the employer and employee each covering a third of the remaining cost.
Several of the proposals that Mr. Kaine presented yesterday came out of recommendations from the governor's Health Reform Commission and those contained in this year's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's report, "Options to Extend Health Insurance Coverage to Virginia's Uninsured Population."
The proposals provided another preview of the biennial budget that will go a long way in defining Mr. Kaine's remaining two years in office.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Richmond ping.
Hold on to your wallets.... Governor Gridlock is at it again.
He’s a Dem.... it doesn’t have to compute. It’s for the children, doncha know?!
The more the pols demand coverage, the more expensive it will get for everone else. They are indeed clueless.
Grrrrrr That’s it, I’m moving to Texas.
When you donate 100% of your assets to cover "the poor", then I'll consider accepting a slight increase in my taxes. Until then. F.O.
theDentist
Just doing his part in keeping this once red then purple now blue state blue. Also, don’t forget the chillen. Illegal, legal, black or brown, the chillen can’t hep it.
The VA Dems are committing suicide.
LOL, and you don't think Texas is not paying free medical for every illegals that walks across the border. Why do you think they can no longer afford their own highway system, besides the corruption of the TDOT.
I guess now the cops are going to start writing thousand dollar tickets for having tires on your car.
And how does he propose to fund it? Most likely with another increase on cigarette taxes. Why not, O’Malley and Minner just did it in Maryland and Delaware.
He’s been very coy about how he’s going to fund it. We’ll find out next week when he submits the budget to the GA. My guess is increased taxes on gasoline, cigarettes, real estate transfers, car licenses and registration, repeal the car tax relief.
There’s a big brou-ha-ha going on around here about the extra $1 on annual vehicle license. That was tacked on to pay for Jamestown 2007. Tommy Norment wants to keep it going to pay for other stuff. Never mind the fact that the reason for the tax is now over. Since there are several million (at least) cars registered in Virginia that’s not a trivial amount. Norment was questioned about it on WRVA and basically said “It’s just a dollar, what’s the big deal?”
The fact is, it isn’t his dollar. It’s my dollar he confiscated from my wallet.
But not quickly enough!
He's a stupid, pandering Democrat. It is really not a surprise.
Go here to sign a petition to ask for your Jamestown 2007 Dollar back from Mr. Norment.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?WRVAbuck
Almost a 1000 signatures now.
Just what we DON'T need.
Accomack coutny just sent out the new property reassessments. Our place went from $39,000 to $94,000. I'm not looking forward to my June property tax bill.
There is no way he can raise that much money like that. He will have to raise income and sales taxes to pay for a monster program like health care.
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