The Dean Record: Vermont #1 in Child Health Insurance Rate

[tsipple]

This information came from another thread, but it's a major statistical find that's worth starting a separate discussion on. My thanks to Sandnsea for finding it and for highlighting the positive accomplishments of our Democratic candidates as we ultimately do battle with George W. Bush in 2004.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 1999 to 2001 (toward the end of Dean's term and the latest statistical data available), the three year average rate of uninsured children (in households at or below 200% of the poverty line) in the state of Vermont was 2.1 percent.

That rate is the lowest in the nation, making Vermont #1 in childhood health insurance coverage.

Dean delivers! You can read more about the Dean healthcare record here.

I'll also be posting some new information on the Dean environmental record. It's damn impressive. Watch for that within the next few days.

[Rose Siding]

1. And then there is Bush's Texas-

From the white paper, Texas On The Brink, '99 I think:

1. Education:
o Texas is 45th among the 50 states in high school completion rate.
o Texas is 47th among the 50 states in SAT scores.
o Texas is 30th among the 50 states in average teacher salaries.

2. Health Care:
o Texas is 1st among the 50 states in percentage of population without health insurance.
o Texas is 44th among the 50 states in percentage of poor covered by Medicaid.
o Texas is 40th among the 50 states in physicians per capita.
o Texas is 45th among the 50 states in number of women receiving prenatal care.

3. Children:
o Texas is 1st among the 50 states in percentage of uninsured children.
o Texas is 50th among the 50 states in percentage of fully immunized two-year olds.
o Texas is 9th among the 50 states in percentage of population under age 18
who are living in poverty.

4. Welfare and Workforce:
o Texas is 6th among the 50 states in poverty rate.
o Texas is 1st among the 50 states in percentage of population that goes hungry.
o Texas is 44th among the 50 states in hourly average earnings.

5. Environment:
o Texas is 1st among the 50 states in the amount of toxic emissions from manufacturing facilities.
o Texas is 1st among the 50 states in number of clean water permit violations.
o Texas is 1st among the 50 states in number of environmental civil rights complaints.
o Texas is 2nd among the 50 states in the amount of ozone pollution exposure.
o Texas is 49th among the 50 states in park spending and acreage.

6. Democracy (political involvement):
o Texas is 46th among the 50 states in percentage of eligible voters that are registered.
o Texas is 47th among the 50 states in percentage of eligible voters who go to the polls.

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I hope Dean's Texas Rangers had some of this info with them in NH and IA this weekend!

[JohnKleeb]

3. thats something to be not so proud of

Wow George you fucked us like you fucked your state.

[Cha]

2. Okay! I'll be "watching"! Thanks for this information!

[sandnsea]

4. 18 states are very close

Some are 2.5 and 2.6, many states have very nearly as high a coverage rate as Vermont. And let's remember, this count ended in 2001. What are the numbers going to be in 2003, now that the rainy day fund is gone? And what are they going to be in 2008, when Vermont health care is projected to go from a $4 million deficit to a $150 million deficit?

This was enlightening to me. Dean has absolutely NOTHING to be crowing about on health care.

[KaraokeKarlton]

5. So are you calling Clinton a liar?

Because he publicly stated that Dean has done more for Health Care than anyone else and that there's no one better than him on the issue. For what you say to be correct you have to think Clinton is a liar.

[tsipple]

7. Here's the Link to Clinton's Statement...

Everyone can watch Clinton praise Dean's healthcare accomplishments by clicking here. (RealPlayer required.)

[sandnsea]

8. No one better

Which doesn't mean there aren't alot of Governors who are just as good. But the fact is, the SCHIP program is what has allowed these states to provide children with coverage, a program co-sponsored by John Kerry.

[tsipple]

10. How's That Federal Program Doing in Texas?

Just wondering.

[sandnsea]

13. What's Texas got to do with it?

George Bush doesn't give a shit. He is not among those Governors who are among the best on health care. We knew that. What's your point?

[tsipple]

15. Texas Is Covered by SCHIP

How's the program Kerry supported, SCHIP, doing in Texas?

Or how about this: what's the average rate of childhood health insurance coverage in the United States after the introduction of SCHIP?

Is Dean's Vermont better in providing healthcare to children than the national average?

Sandnsea, you can't seem to bring yourself to praise Governor Dean for a real accomplishment in improving healthcare for Vermont's children. At least so far.

If you're looking for something positive from me regarding John Kerry's record, I'm happy to oblige. John Kerry did an incredible job in the Senate recently leading the fight to strike ANWR oil drilling from the energy bill. Kerry deserves credit for helping preserve one of the world's most awe-inspiring natural habitats for future generations. I'm very proud of Senator Kerry for that accomplishment.

See? Didn't hurt one bit. Now you try!

[sandnsea]

16. He did an incredible job with SCHIP

18 other states that did just as well as Vermont is the evidence. And it wouldn't matter if somebody dumped a truckload of evidence right on top of you, you'd just brush it all off and gaze in amazement at Dean.

[tsipple]

18. Re: Incredible Job with SCHIP

Sandnsea, do you entertain the notion that both Kerry and Dean did great jobs with healthcare? I do.

Vermont has the #1 rate of childhood health insurance coverage in the nation, according to the U.S. Census. Yes, excluding statistical margin of error considerations. No, 18 other states did not do "just as well as Vermont." That's your guess.

Unquestionably, Vermont did better than the national average. Way better.

There are significant differences between the states in their rates of coverage.

Are you telling us that John Kerry's federal SCHIP program was engineered so that Vermont had a higher coverage rate than Texas, and that Governor Dean had nothing whatsoever to do with the higher rate in Vermont?

What's so difficult about acknowledging that Governor Dean did a good job?

Let's try this again. I praise John Kerry now, enthusiastically. John Kerry is a Vietnam war hero who served bravely for his country. He then led the fight to convince our elected officials that we should end the Vietnam conflict to save lives. His record of service is truly excellent, and he deserves our praise.

Your turn.

[sandnsea]

19. It's NOT my guess

It's what the census report said. And when a program that is just a few years old is already looking at the kind of escalating deficit of the Vermont program, it just cannot be called a success.

When I find something to praise Dean over, I'll let you know. There isn't anything yet. I do not like Howard Dean.

I do praise Senator Kerry for SCHIP and the Nurse Reinvestment Program that is providing very good assistance to get nurses into areas with high need. And the HIV/AIDS programs that he's sponsored and helped author over the years. And Small Business Programs to help women owned business. And ANWR. And simply a string of legislation that has helped every single American in one way or another.

[tsipple]

20. No, the U.S. Census Says...

Vermont is #1. You found it. I didn't.

Or, if you prefer, #1, subject to statistical error found in any such measure.

[sandnsea]

21. Tied, statistically,

with 18 other states.

[tsipple]

22. Care to Share the Math on That One?

Not believing or disbelieving, but just wondering.

And, if true, 32 states *aren't* statistically tied with Vermont. Including Texas. Guess the Kerry-sponsored federal program SCHIP isn't doing as much for those laggard states, is it?

By the way, got any figures to show how Kerry's doing with the SCHIP program, since he's apparently so awesomely awesome on healthcare? Let's prove it to the peanut gallery, shall we? I'd appreciate seeing how well he's doing. Statistically, of course. :-)

In case you're just tuning in, DUers, so far we've succeed in proving that Vermont ranks #1 in child health insurance coverage, although there's a statistical possibility that some other states are good, too. But we know for sure that Vermont does better than the average state. We know John Kerry helped pass a federal program called SCHIP which was supposed to improve healthcare coverage for every child. And it may very well have done that, although it may have also pulled federal funds from nursing home care, so that got worse everywhere. Or maybe not. Yet somehow that pesky Vermont seems to do better than the national average, and, according to Sandnsea, Governor Dean had nothing to do with that. Kerry did everything, because he went and personally visited thousands of Vermont children to sign them up for health insurance. Or maybe he ran the Vermont Department of Health, moonlighting while he was Senator. Or something like that.

OK, only fair I answer my own question. Here we go!

Vermont
1987: 90.4%
1988: 91.1%
1989: 92.8%
1990: 93.6%
1991: 91.2%
1992: 96.0%
1993: 92.6%
1994: 94.5%
1995: 90.3%
1996: 94.0%
1997: 94.6%
1998: 93.7%
1999: 92.0%
2000: 96.0%
2001: 96.7%
2001 v. 1987: +6.3%

United States
1987: 87.1%
1988: 86.9%
1989: 86.7%
1990: 87.0%
1991: 87.3%
1992: 87.3%
1993: 86.3%
1994: 85.8%
1995: 86.2%
1996: 85.2%
1997: 85.0%
1998: 84.6%
1999: 86.1/87.4%
2000: 88.1/88.4%
2001: 88.3%
2001 v. 1987: +1.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (Note that 1999 and 2000 U.S. figures double listed due to two measures available. See report for details.)

Hmmmmm... I'm still wondering about that awesomely awesome Kerry child healthcare record.

[sandnsea]

23. So Vermont's always had high coverage rates

I guess having a high coverage rate isn't that big of a deal for Vermont after all.

My point is kind of verified here, the coverage rate for children is because of the SCHIPS program, not anything Howard Dean did.

A state like Alabama, which hasn't had historically high coverage rates had alot further to go. From 78% in 1987 to 91% in 2001, an increase of 13%. Now that's taking a federal program and making good use of it. Even if they still aren't at the top of the list, their progress can't exactly be called lagging.

And nobody said SCHIP funds were pulled from nursing homes. That's a completely different issue.

[tsipple]

24. Well, Let's See What Kerry's SCHIP Did for His Home State...

Fair is fair, after all.

Ooops. Minus 0.4% from 1987 to 2001. In fact, the state's highest child insurance coverage rate was in 1987, during the Reagan Administration.

Not good. What happened to SCHIP in Kerry's home state?

[tsipple]

6. Guess Which State is the Worst?

Texas, under Governor George W. Bush's stewardship. Over 15% of Texas children in the same category have no health insurance.

Dr. Dean, you do us proud! Nice job!

[sandnsea]

9. Maternal & Child Health Bureau

Hmm, Vermont comes in at 9% uninsured with these statistics, Alabama even does better!

http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa02/main_pages/page_66.htm

On edit:

And Texas is still the worst, 21%!!!

[tsipple]

11. One Year, Smaller Sample

U.S. Census data tracks the three year average from 1999 to 2001. That's a smaller sample over a single year (2000), according to the information in both tables.

The relative standings of Texas and Vermont, though, not surprisingly, are similar.

Very good find again. Maybe you'll want to dig up the state by state EPA rankings for pollution output? :-) :-)

[sandnsea]

14. So why the change?

The Federal SCHIP program perhaps??? You know, the one offered to the States by those do-nothings in Washington. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you, man, Howard will stop at nothing.

[bluestateguy]

12. That's good, but

Just remember, as a governor the other side will find some statistic, somewhere where Vermont is #49 or #50 and cite it as "proof" that Vermont is some kind of a hell hole on earth. It could be that Vermont is number #50 in air conditioners per capita. Doesn't matter. Team Bush will shamelessly cite that as QED that Dean is a "failed leader".

[tsipple]

17. Plenty of National Stats, bluestateguy

And Texas stats. No problem.

Senators and Congressmen have all kind of roll call votes to defend, by the way. (The RNC has a nice long Kerry page already.)

And Wesley Clark is discovering the electron microscope aimed at him.

Somehow, though, George W. Bush, with awful stats, and Bill Clinton (from Arkansas, which is a proud state with challenges) both got elected, so governors are on a winning streak.

[Mairead]

25. I'd think more of it if it were the rate of wage-earner insurance

Kids tend to be ridiculously healthy creatures. If they get seriously sick at all, it's typically with something untreatable. I'd guess that's part of why everyone's plan --yes, including Dennis's-- ensures kids first (or in Edwards's case, solely): it's a sort of grandstand play, very cheap to implement and something to point to.

Now if it were coverage for adults--people who do get sick with curable stuff--then it'd really be something to brag about.