Hawaii Ending Universal Child Health Care After 7 Months

Another bold experiment meets reality and fail completely and quickly.

FOXNews.com

HONOLULU — Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched.

Gov. Linda Lingle's administration cited budget shortfalls and other available health care options for eliminating funding for the program. A state official said families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.

"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."

State officials said Thursday they will stop giving health coverage to the 2,000 children enrolled by Nov. 1, but private partner Hawaii Medical Service Association will pay to extend their coverage through the end of the year without government support.

It may not have been the intention of the program to provide for those who can afford to provide for themselves, but it works every time. Give something away and people stop paying for it. Duhh!

People respond to incentives. If you provide free health care why would those who can afford it pay? Socialism works, I mean fails, every time. It robs people of their learned instinct to provide for themselves.

Hat tip to Orbusmax. Photo: Diamond Head at sunrise from near the Honolulu Zoo.