Good intentions don't make good solutions
The Jan. 21 article “Bill would benefit workers’ children” is an example of good intentions gone haywire. It relates a desire to pass legislation so the children of public safety workers killed in the line of duty would have free health care (until 26 years old!) and free tuition at Iowa community colleges and universities.
It is unfortunate when people are killed while doing their job. It’s a horrible thing for any child to experience the death of a parent for any reason. As I read the article, these were some of my thoughts:
l Do the situations used as examples expose a hole in the Hawk-i program? If so, fix that so all children who have lost a parent for any reason can have access to health care.
l Say after me: “Individual responsibility.” People who have dangerous jobs and their families need life insurance.
l Who’s going to define “in the line of duty?”
l Many companies have accidental death and dismemberment policies for employees. The State of Iowa has no such policy for Iowa State troopers?
l The article mentioned some other tax incentives to help affected families. Hey, make it simple. Be sure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is there for all families.
See how easy it is to help all children and not just a select few?
Iowa State Health Insurance Hawk-I - News
The former speaker of the House of Representatives blamed his falling fortunes in Iowa on negative advertising launched by the Romney campaign — but the blitz in the Hawkeye State was akin to a bow and arrow compared to the $15 million cruise missile
It relates a desire to pass legislation so the children of public safety workers killed in the line of duty would have free health care (until 26 years old!) and free tuition at Iowa community colleges and universities. It is unfortunate when people
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Iowa leads the way to kids' health coverage « Iowa Policy Points
Two recent reports highlight Iowa’s success in extending health insurance coverage to children. Both reports are the work of the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, Calif., dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information, research and analysis on health issues.
The first report — “ Performance Under Pressure : Annual Findings of a 50-State Survey of Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal, and Cost-Sharing Policies in Medicaid and CHIP, 2011-2012 Iowa’s version of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), has expansive income eligibility guidelines, allowing children from families with income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($67,050 for a family of four) to enroll in the program. Only two states (New York and New Jersey) have broader eligibility guidelines.
Iowa has enacted other policies that make enrolling in public programs less cumbersome, less costly, and more consistent with the goal of getting kids covered.
KFF’s second report highlights Iowa — along with Alabama, Massachusetts and Oregon — among states leading the way in children’s health coverage. “ Secrets to Success : An Analysis of Four States at the Forefront of the Nation’s Gains in Children’s Health Coverage , a nearly 20 percent decrease in the number of uninsured kids. Efforts to expand and simplify the eligibility and enrollment process are key to Iowa’s success in covering kids.
As we noted last month, Iowa’s efforts to cover kid not only help the kids and their families, but also help the state. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Iowa with a $9.5 million Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act bonus payment in late December, in reward for the state’s efforts to expand children’s health insurance coverage.