After President Clinton's healthcare reform plan was defeated,
he teamed up with Senator Kennedy and passed CHIP in 1997.
It was meant to fill in a gap, provide coverage for
children who were ineligible for Medicaid, cover those children that were uninsured.
Again, like Medicaid states set the eligibility criteria, like Medicaid,
its a joint federal- state finance program.
Today about 6 million children get CHIP and it costs about $13 billion.
One of the consequences of our complex system is that White and
Asian children tend to be insured through private healthcare insurance.
Whereas minority, Hispanic and
Black children, are predominantly covered by public programs, Medicaid and CHIP.
In addition to Medicaid and
Medicare, there are a number of other large public programs.
For example,Veterans Affairs covers veterans.
There are about 150 veteran hospitals in the country.
There are about 800 veteran outpatient facilities.
This is a program which the federal government both owns the hospitals,
employs the doctors.
It is true socialized medicine.
And it cost about $53 billion per year.
The Defense Department has strike year which provides services
to about 9 million active military personnel, retirees and their dependents.
There is the Indian health service which provides services to the native American
populations.
And there are a few other programs around, between the private insurance
market covering employees and individuals who bribe private insurance.
The Public Health Insurance Programs, Medicare and
Medicaid, veterans programs and others.
We have a very complex way of funding health insurance.
That is matched by a complex way of providing coverage between doctors,
hospitals, pharmacies, home health care agencies, and others.