Faith-based prisons one day; Medicaid overhaul pushed the next -- Sonny must be jealous of the attention Zell is getting

The 8-23-04 ajc headline reads: "Medicaid overhaul pushed." And also see the 8-23-04 Morris News Service.

"We're not aware of another state that has gone this far all at once," said Tim Burgess, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health, which operates Medicaid. "We want to create a very Georgia approach to this and a very Georgia solution."
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Well, let's see. Kathy with a "K" Cox recently got Georgia in the national news with her beef with evolution. She didn't think our low rank with SAT scores made us stand out quite enough.

Then it was Corrections Commissioner James Donald introducing us to faith-based prisons (we are assuming this is not Muslim faith based Commissioner).

Already this year we have had (1) higher premiums for PeachCare -- Governor Barnes' baby; (2) a plan to recover long-term care costs from Medicaid beneficiaries' estates -- Estate Recovery rules that go much further than federal law requires; and (3) and a halt to a "medically needy" program for nursing home residents who earn too much for Medicaid but not enough to afford private care -- something federal law does not require at all.

And then there Perdue’s new conservation plan to let every city and county in Georgia compete for state preservation grants under fire. gdp

Like Little Orphan Annie, I must be dreaming. and then the gall to say listen, we are from the government and we are hear to help you. Witness:

"Burgess, the state Community Health commissioner, said that besides cutting costs, the HMO setup would aim to improve the health of affected patients through such measures as increased child immunizations and well-child visits."

As with the prisons, expect more on this from the politicos.