UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL FUTURE: Local Governments Give up Public Hospitals
There are problems looming with public hospitals such as University across the United States and faced with such a bleak economy we have to wonder if this is next here?
Faced with mounting debt and looming costs from the new federal health-care law, many local governments are leaving the hospital business, shedding public facilities that can be the caregiver of last resort.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this health care bill hurts more than it helps if this statement rings true. At a a time when many feel we do not have enough hospitals, or Doctors in the US as it is, what happens when up to 20% close because of the health care reform? Read further.
More than a fifth of the nation's 5,000 hospitals are owned by governments and many are drowning in debt caused by rising health-care costs, a spike in uninsured patients, cuts in Medicare and Medicaid and payments on construction bonds sold in fatter times. Because most public hospitals tend to be solo operations, they don't enjoy the economies of scale, or more generous insurance contracts, which bolster revenue at many larger nonprofit and for-profit systems.
Pay close attention folks this situation will only get worse across America and will eventually find its way here as well.
WILLIAMS/FARMER FOR GOVERNOR: Al Cross over at the CJ had an interesting article on a Williams/ Farmer Gubernatorial run on Sunday. Williams/Farmer ticket is a go. According to Cross:
Barring any 11th-hour misgivings, Williams appears to have persuaded Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer to run for lieutenant governor on his slate. He needed Farmer in order to make an early announcement, which now seems to be forthcoming.
I spoke with David Williams a couple of weeks ago at a Dan Seum fundraiser and I came away 99.9 % sure this was a done deal. If it proves true (and I am sure it will) this will be the most formidable challenge to Beshear next year. While everyone knows Abramson hurts Beshear for a reelection there ha s not been anyone strong enough announced yet to beat him.
Of course this is assuming Beshear doesn't implode after Abramson leaves the ticket early in the race next year due to some info coming that he just doesn't want out there. ;-) But I digress.
Republican challenger Phil Moffett and his running mate Mike Harmon have already announced but many don't see that team overcoming a Williams/Farmer ticket in the primary and rest assured at least one more candidate will make an announcement in this race soon.
Meanwhile, there is also the ever vigilant Gatewood Galbraith independent candidacy going on. Gatewood and running mate Dea Riley have already been campaigning for over a year and it will be interesting to see just how much grassroots support they have been able to muster up in the interim.
Meanwhile Cross also states:
A cn2 poll last month gave Beshear a 69 percent job-approval rating, but a Rasmussen Reports poll at about the same time had it at 54 percent. That is still good for a Kentucky incumbent in the party of Barack Obama, but Williams says his polling shows that Beshear's support is soft and many voters are persuadable. Last month he released a memo from his pollster saying a survey showed him and Farmer running only 1 percentage point behind Beshear and Abramson.
There simply is no way Beshear's rating is as high as cn2 reported. Honestly, at this juncture the cn2 polls in any race should be discounted. They simply have not measured up in my opinion to the proven pollsters.
Wiliams has already taken a bold step by making this announcement last week with Senator Dan Seum. JCPS Busing plan
State Rep. Bill Farmer has a Facebook site dedicated to running for governor.
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