skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Town Hall Meetings: "Bailing Out" Florida's Safety Net

play audio
Play

Monday, September 22, 2008   

Panama City, FA - While Congress is discussing the largest bailout of financial institutions since the Great Depression, some Florida advocates want to know why there's no bailout for a failing healthcare system.

Serious illness is the major cause of personal bankruptcy, and four million Floridians do not have health insurance. A coalition of nonprofit organizations is holding a series of four town hall meetings across the state, allowing legislators to hear from those who already are suffering as a result of Florida's budget cuts.

Florida CHAIN (Community Health Action Information Network) is one of the meeting sponsors. Executive Director Laura Goodhue calls it an effort to find a "cure," and she believes the first step should be to hold insurance companies accountable - to make sure patients get what they're paying for, rather than bailing the companies out of financial trouble.

"Healthy Floridians can promote a healthy economy, and I think they go hand in hand. Our leaders need to show leadership in finding solutions that don't hurt our most vulnerable citizens and take away needed health care services that they depend on."

And yet, budget cutbacks are forcing state lawmakers to make tough decisions about how Florida's tax dollars are spent. Dave Bruns, with event cosponsor Florida's People, Florida's Promise, says his coalition members are trying to protect the state's safety net. He says legislators have even considered cutting funds to Medicaid Hospice programs, but does not believe cutbacks should be at the expense of the state's most vulnerable citizens.

"These things are very tough challenges, and what we're asking Florida leaders is to step up to this tough challenge. We're in a historic crisis, and we need historic leadership."

Bruns says reweaving Florida's safety net requires innovative solutions, including public-private partnerships. He hopes the process will begin with making legislators aware of the crisis, at these town hall meetings.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021