Insurance Program

Wow, if you dare speak out in favor of a government program, your kitchen cabinets better not have glass fronts. Heaven forbid you cry poor but your wedding merited an announcement in The New York Times. And for God's sake, don't live on the same block as someone whose house sold for $485,000. I've often wondered when all the pent-up sanctimony that has collected in the blogosphere over the years would reach the point of explosion. Well, beware of flying shards of indignation and toxic clouds of righteousness -- the Graeme Frost hysteria may finally make the whole gasbagosphere go kablooie.

Is President Bush a liar who hates children? That's what many of his critics now are asking. Why else, they say, would he refuse to sign a bill providing health insurance to poor kids? Specifically, the president has vetoed a bill expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which was designed to provide health coverage to lower-income children. One nationally syndicated columnist went so far as to call Mr. Bush's rationale in vetoing the bill a "pack of flat-out lies."

ATLANTA -- Just four years ago, President Bush and the Republican Congress joined with Democrats to champion a program giving prescription drug coverage to senior citizens. It was poorly conceived and mega-expensive, an added entitlement for a group of Americans who already had good medical care. But Mr. Bush and Congress insisted that seniors deserved it. Now, however, the president and many of his GOP colleagues adamantly oppose extending just a fraction of that good medical care to children.

WASHINGTON -- Alarmed at an increase in the number of people without health insurance, President Clinton will announce today that he is establishing a national toll-free telephone number to enroll children in Medicaid and in a separate new health program for people under the age of 19.The phone number is 877-KIDS-NOW (877-543-7669). Callers will be automatically connected to the Medicaid agency or the health department of the state they are calling from. They may obtain free or low-cost health insurance for children.

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Housing Administration wants Congress to let the agency insure up to $130 billion in home mortgages both this year and next.Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo told a House Appropriations subcommittee yesterday that this year's cap of $110 billion is too low for the FHA to meet homebuyers' demand. HUD, which oversees the FHA, originally asked for a cap of $120 billion in its fiscal 2000 budget.Raising the cap would allow the FHA to insure an additional 400,000 mortgages this year at no cost to taxpayers.

Baltimore County will join a growing number of counties this fall as it sets up a health care plan for some of its 105,000 residents who have no medical insurance.A $100,000 grant from a Columbia-based nonprofit agency will be used to operate a program providing medical services for several hundred adults, according to Dr. Michelle Leverett, county health officer.The services will be donated by Kaiser Permanente.Leverett, formerly a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said the program aims to serve people who depend on hospital emergency rooms for their medical care.

Baltimore County will join a growing number of counties this fall as it sets up a health care plan for some of its 105,000 residents who have no medical insurance.A $100,000 grant from a Columbia-based nonprofit agency will be used to operate a program providing medical services for several hundred adults, according to Dr. Michelle Leverett, county health officer.The services will be donated by Kaiser Permanente.Leverett, formerly a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said the program aims to serve people who depend on hospital emergency rooms for their medical care.

Jervis S. Finney disclosed yesterday that his law firm represents a company that has been identified in the probe he is leading into Del. Gerald J. Curran's business dealings for the state legislature's ethics committee.But the co-chairmen of the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics say they see no conflict with his serving as independent counsel in the Curran investigation."We looked at it, and don't see a problem," said Del. Kenneth C. Montague, a Baltimore Democrat who co-chairs the ethics committee.

WASHINGTON -- A congressional watchdog agency and the Pentagon's inspector general are probing an insurance program that went awry when thousands of reservists ordered to Bosnia found they could collect $5,000 per month during their deployment in addition to their military pay.As a result of the apparent snafu, the Pentagon is scrambling to find at least $72 million to pay claims from about 3,000 reservists now in Bosnia who signed up for the hefty benefits...

WASHINGTON -- As Reserve and National Guard troops received orders last month to head for Bosnia, they received a financial offer that thousands couldn't refuse.The Pentagon was offering new mobilization insurance, which can pay up to $5,000 a month in the event of an extended call-up. And since nearly all the estimated 3,000 personnel headed to Bosnia signed up for the insurance, they have now bankrupted the program and spurred Congress to ask why some reservists who had advance knowledge of the call-up were allowed to participate.

Health insurance is a hot topic these days. President Barack Obama has big plans to reform it, though his ideas are a bit fuzzy. Congressional negotiators are trying to craft legislation to change it. All these efforts are premised on the notion that we need more government regulation and mandates to solve our health insurance problems. But considering that health care is already highly regulated and heavily funded by the federal and state governments, we should ask if further political involvement would reduce our health care problems or add to them.

Civilian workers who suffered devastating injuries while supporting the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home to a grinding battle for basic medical care, artificial limbs, psychological counseling and other services. The insurance companies responsible for their treatment under taxpayer-funded policies have routinely denied the most serious medical claims. Those same insurers - primarily American International Group - recorded hundreds of millions of dollars in profits on this business.

Monday was a particularly embarrassing day for President Barack Obama. His nominee for health care czar, Tom Daschle, withdrew from consideration after a tax problem, a dust-up that forced a first presidential "I messed up." Yesterday, President Obama had the chance to improve the lives of millions of low-income children in this country. He signed into law a bill that will extend health care insurance to kids whose families can't afford it. That should count as a particularly satisfying day. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and his congressional allies took a modest step toward reshaping the nation's health care system yesterday as the Senate passed legislation to expand health insurance for children. But rather than building momentum for the sweeping health care reform that Obama has promised, the victory on Capitol Hill - a largely party-line 66-32 vote - marked a rocky start for what many hope will be the biggest reform campaign in a generation. "To start out the year on this note does not bode well for future health care discussions, including health reform," Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, a Utah Republican, warned colleagues as the Senate debated the children's health insurance bill, which would enlarge the current program for helping children of the so-called working poor.

Stung by criticism from a County Council member that Howard County's new health access plan has enrolled too few residents, officials are refocusing their efforts to find more people who qualify. Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, the county health officer, said yesterday that to ensure continued political support for the Healthy Howard Plan, he is seeking residents who do not have health insurance and who do not qualify for any existing program. The program seeks to provide access to health care to each of the estimated 20,000 limited-income residents who have no insurance.

When Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner says agriculture is important to her state's economy, she backs up her words with bucks. In a move that makes Maryland look a bit cheap, Delaware is boosting its state funding for a farm crop insurance program after Maryland eliminated funding for a similar plan several years ago. Delaware's recently passed budget for fiscal 2009 included a $150,000 increase in the state's crop insurance cost-sharing program that helps...

When Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner says agriculture is important to her state's economy, she backs up her words with bucks. In a move that makes Maryland look a bit cheap, Delaware is boosting its state funding for a farm crop insurance program after Maryland eliminated funding for a similar plan several years ago. Delaware's recently passed budget for fiscal 2009 included a $150,000 increase in the state's crop insurance cost-sharing program that helps...

A $500,000 grant from the Horizon Foundation is the latest boost for Howard County's ambitious health access plan for uninsured residents. The gift provides the bulk of the $750,000 in private donations that County Executive Ken Ulman has said the innovative program, Healthy Howard, needs for the first year of operation. "To get this support is really tremendous," Ulman said. "It pretty much allows us to reach our goal." Aetna Insurance, which last week announced a discount dental services plan for program participants, also pledged $56,000.

A $500,000 grant from the Horizon Foundation is the latest boost for Howard County's ambitious health access plan for uninsured residents. The gift provides the bulk of the $750,000 in private donations that County Executive Ken Ulman has said the innovative program, Healthy Howard, needs for the first year of operation. "To get this support is really tremendous," Ulman said. "It pretty much allows us to reach our goal." Aetna Insurance, which last week announced a discount dental services plan for program participants, also pledged $56,000.

If you are a small business owner, chances are you dream about the future. You may think of yourself networking with industry leaders, cornering the market with an innovative service or directing hundreds of employees. Entrepreneurs often fail to consider a less cheerful scenario: What happens to their business if they die suddenly? Would their business close? Would it be clear who controls the assets? Would your family assets be protected? The best way to avoid this uncertainty is to have business life insurance.