Government & Health Care twofer...

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MAINE RESIDENTS ANGERED BY EXPANSION OF UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM

Originally, voters were assured that Dirigo would never require an increase in taxes; however, that has not been the case:

• Dirigo Care has cost the state's taxpayers nearly $164 million in the four years since its inception.
• Although its intended purpose was to insure 128,000 people who had no health coverage, only four percent of that total, or just over 5,000 individuals, have been successfully removed from the rolls of the uninsured and into that state program.
• On April 15, 2008, Gov. John Baldacci (D) signed LD2247, An Act to Continue Maine's Leadership in Covering the Uninsured, expanding the Dirigo Care program by $28 million annually.

Moreover, taxpayer are footing the bill, as the state levied a 1.8 percent tax on paid insurance claims...

[as with Romney-care in Massachusetts, the majority (96% in this case) who signed up for the government programs did so to ditch those they were paying for - but hey, it's 'free', right? Predictable as the sun - but we fall for it every time.]

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ALABAMA HITS 'OBESE' WORKERS WITH FEE

The state of Alabama has given its 37,527 employees until 2010 to start getting fit -- or they'll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free, says the Associated Press (AP).

With Alabamans having one of the biggest weight problems in the nation -- 30.3 percent of Alabamans are obese [according to government BMI figures] -- the Board believes that they are justified in their actions.

[is this where we want government to go? That's where it's headed - and when we've a federal government run medical system? Consider: the government also controls the BMI (Body Mass Index) algorithm, so a cynical person might recognize that, when combined with programs like the one above, it would actually be profitable to constantly lower the 'acceptable mass' of the citizenry.

Nah - our government wouldn't do that. For money. Forge I mentioned it.]

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