I am still worried about jumping from the frying pan into the fire with a national health care plan - In NC, we have as other states, a significant budget crunch. The "ear to the ground" indicates the state may run out of money this summer to pay the Medicaid bill. They dropped our reimbursement 5% this year to balance the budget. I think it might be too tempting to pass up if politicians want to free up money from the rich doctors... Maybe some minimal national healthcare as a floor, but if pediatricians end up with 90% of our patients serviced by one payer, we become federal employees with none of the "protection", job security, etc of the usual federal job. (Think about it - if there is one plan, and it chooses not to reimburse something, - poof - that procedure/drug/service no longer exists in this country!) We have to be very careful what we wish for - we might get it! -gb ----- Original Message ----- From: "Julia" <> To: <>; <> Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2002 11:21 AM Subject: Re: health insurance for children On Sunday, February 10, 2002, at 03:52 AM, wrote: > Our hospital publicly boasts that it is financially secure while > other hospitals are struggling financially. Gee, I wonder why?!!! This is despicable, and also a sign of how our current system for funding healthcare is falling apart. We need something better--employer funded health insurance is not working. The HMO's came in with promises of lowering costs, and they have not. Some went bankrupt, others were eaten up by larger ones, and now we have the ones left over raising the rates beyond almost anyone's ability to pay. I'm a member of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP). ( http://www.pnhp.org/ ) I recommend anyone who is interested in the issue (and how can you not be?) to check out the website and consider joining. Julia in Waunakee