Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Okay. Someone at Bloomberg Either Has a Sense of Humor or is Retarded
Specifically I'm referring to this article. As you might be aware, the President is opposing a move by Congressional Democrats to double the size of the SCHIP program. The program provides health insurance for children of families making too much to qualify for Medicaid or traditional assistance for the working poor. Essentially, the expansion would loosen the qualification rules to allow less poor families to receive health insurance at public expense. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem with lending a hand to people who are generally in need. But, the operative issue here is how broadly we define "in need". The family in this article makes $56,000 per year. Their kids still get subsidized health insurance. Moreover, the article notes that they'd still qualify for assistance given the President's position. In effect, then, one can only assume that the article's author, if serious, believes that subsidized medical insurance should be extended to people whose straights are less dire than theirs. Let's see how the poor, downtrodden victims of our cold, heartless, society that form the baseline that no one is even fighting whether deserves our public support actually live:
So, let me get this straight. Subsidizing somewhat beyond a family with a three bedroom house, two cars, a damned pinball machine, and private school for the kids isn't sufficient? Pardon my French, but are you fucking kidding me? What? Are we supposed to be dipping into our wallets to help cover folks whose place in the Hamptons is just eating up the budget? Or folks in a pinch because of the yacht club dues? Moreover, its important to note that the alternative they cite is BCBS - the gold standard of health insurance. Nope, can't have the downtrodden getting by on an HMO like - I don't know - 95% of the known world.
Again, I'm not some selfish cretin who wants to see poor kids die in the streets for lack of medical care. Hell, no one is even debating whether these people should be eligible for a health insurance subsidy. But, compassion isn't a synonym for screwing some to enrich others. When you start saying that we should double the size of a $5 billion dollar program to give free health insurance to people with higher and higher incomes, you show a definite lack of compassion to the rest of us stuck with the bill.
Specifically I'm referring to this article. As you might be aware, the President is opposing a move by Congressional Democrats to double the size of the SCHIP program. The program provides health insurance for children of families making too much to qualify for Medicaid or traditional assistance for the working poor. Essentially, the expansion would loosen the qualification rules to allow less poor families to receive health insurance at public expense. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem with lending a hand to people who are generally in need. But, the operative issue here is how broadly we define "in need". The family in this article makes $56,000 per year. Their kids still get subsidized health insurance. Moreover, the article notes that they'd still qualify for assistance given the President's position. In effect, then, one can only assume that the article's author, if serious, believes that subsidized medical insurance should be extended to people whose straights are less dire than theirs. Let's see how the poor, downtrodden victims of our cold, heartless, society that form the baseline that no one is even fighting whether deserves our public support actually live:
Lori Siravo has lived all her life in and around Keyport, a central New Jersey town of about 7,500 people. She and her husband own a three-bedroom house six blocks from Raritan Bay.
Steven, 49, drives a Chevrolet Caprice Classic that's almost 20 years old, and she drives a 5-year-old Chevy Monte Carlo. The above-ground pool out back is 17 years old, bought when ``we had money'' before Carlie was born, Lori said.
The one luxury is a full-size pinball machine Steven bought for his wife on her 40th birthday.
The family's monthly bills consume most of their take-home income. Pulling out her checkbook, Lori said there's the mortgage ($1,500), utilities ($743), phones and Internet service ($200), car insurance and gasoline ($205), property taxes ($230), basic cable television ($48), food ($600) and credit- card payments ($325) on an outstanding $11,000 balance. That's $46,212 a year, not including clothes, school books and extra- curricular activities for Carlie.
Private School
There's also $352 a month on a home-equity loan the Siravos took out to send Carlie to a private Catholic high school. Tuition is $9,000 a year.
``I'll do anything for her to be happy and get a good education so she doesn't struggle,'' Siravo said. Carlie is thinking of a career as a physical therapist.
If Schip weren't available, Carlie's parents could cover only the teenager through a $230-a-month policy with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, according to the Web site ehealthinsurance.com.
So, let me get this straight. Subsidizing somewhat beyond a family with a three bedroom house, two cars, a damned pinball machine, and private school for the kids isn't sufficient? Pardon my French, but are you fucking kidding me? What? Are we supposed to be dipping into our wallets to help cover folks whose place in the Hamptons is just eating up the budget? Or folks in a pinch because of the yacht club dues? Moreover, its important to note that the alternative they cite is BCBS - the gold standard of health insurance. Nope, can't have the downtrodden getting by on an HMO like - I don't know - 95% of the known world.
Again, I'm not some selfish cretin who wants to see poor kids die in the streets for lack of medical care. Hell, no one is even debating whether these people should be eligible for a health insurance subsidy. But, compassion isn't a synonym for screwing some to enrich others. When you start saying that we should double the size of a $5 billion dollar program to give free health insurance to people with higher and higher incomes, you show a definite lack of compassion to the rest of us stuck with the bill.
