2004 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Health Care
Bill Ritter:
Provide Coloradans some basic form of health care by 2010
My long-term vision is to establish a Colorado Health Plan that provides every Coloradan with access to some basic form of health insurance and health care by 2010. I look forward to solving this crisis with the legislature and the new “208” Health
Commission. In the short term, we can make immediate progress by joining a multi-state drug-purchasing pool, and we can do it while still protecting vulnerable populations. This will be one of my first executive orders.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2007
Eliot Spitzer:
Propose a Stem Cell and Innovation Fund to voters
We will propose a Stem Cell and Innovation Fund to be presented to the voters for approval. The fund will provide long-term investment, overseen by independent industry experts, for stem cell innovations and other types of applied research that
will lead to direct commercial application. This investment will repay itself many times over in increased jobs, economic activity and improved health.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 3, 2007
Kathleen Blanco:
First principles: provide for children & right to healthcare
These principles will guide my administration and they will characterize much of what we hope to accomplish in the coming years as we work together-you and I-- in a spirit of compromise and cooperation.- Educating our children is the cornerstone
of a civilized society. And so we will provide the best for our children - from early childhood through college.
- Every person has a right to affordable, good-quality health care. And so we’ll work to reinvent our health care system so that it serves
everyone well.
- Our state’s bayous, rivers and streams, our woodlands and prairies, and our coastal wetlands, are national treasures. And so we will protect and preserve them.
- Every person who wants to work should be able to find a decent job.
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And so we will build a stronger economy that creates good-paying jobs, rewards initiative, and encourages entrepreneurship.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Mar 29, 2004
Jeb Bush:
KidCare and Medikids: expand to 1.6M kids and then even more
Florida's KidCare program needs our attention. KidCare was created to provide insurance to children who have no other access to coverage. Today the program serves 1.6 million children--
755,000 more than in 1998, and there are still more children waiting. In addition to Medicaid, KidCare includes other valuable programs--specifically Medikids, Healthy Kids, and CMS.
These non-Medicaid programs provide the critical safety net many parents need to ensure their children are protected. They are not offered as cheaper alternatives for parents who currently buy coverage through their employers.
Florida received additional federal funds in January, a bonus for fully using the federal dollars to serve Florida's children in need. The new money will allow us to serve even more children.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the Florida Legislature
Mar 2, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Secure lower prescription drug costs for seniors
We passed legislation to secure lower prescription drug costs for seniors and funded efforts to recruit and reform health professionals. Shoddy contracts and poor financial management by the previous administration have lost the state tens of millions
of dollars in matching federal funds. We’re working through the mess and have put real systems of accountability in place as we provide health care services to hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Focus on raising childhood immunization rates
While we’re facing an explosion of Medicaid costs that are straining our budget, I pledge to protect Medicaid eligibility levels for children. I’m proposing to increase Medicaid by providing approximately $55 million in new state funds to match
federal funds. I want to also continue our focus on raising childhood immunization rates in New Mexico. Immunizing more of our children today means we’ll have healthier, more successful citizens down the road.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Increase access to affordable health care
I have two defining goals in health-care reform: decrease the number of uninsured New Mexicans - and increase access to affordable health care for all. Health care is a shared responsibility of governments, employers and individuals and their families.
It will not be quick and it will not be easy, but we must have the best efforts of everybody involved in health care - from consumers to HMO executives - if we are to find ways to attain my goals of wider coverage and greater access.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Consolidate mental health and substance abuse therapy needs
I want to create a new way to consolidate mental health and substance abuse into a single comprehensive advisory structure. I want to immediately create a common plan and structure to address the mental health and substance abuse therapy needs
of New Mexicans, and have a draft ready to review by March, a request for proposals out by September, and the system up and running by July of 2005.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Restrain Medicaid costs and maintain benefits
We’re working diligently to uncover and eliminate fraud, abuse, and errors in the Medicaid system. If we don’t control Medicaid costs now, we will face cutting eligibility and services down the road. We have to pay for these programs, and this is the
most fiscally responsible way to do it. I say we restrain costs and maintain benefits now, while working to create more access in the long run for working New Mexicans through my healthcare purchasing collaborative.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Better health care policies for seniors
I want to start with my efforts to help seniors combat prescription drug prices. My administration built a prescription discount program that takes advantage of the purchasing power of Arizona’s large senior population. Beginning today, all Medicare-
eligible Arizonans will receive a CoppeRx-Card for prescription drug discounts. The card is free, easy to understand, and carries more substantial discounts. It does more to help Medicare-eligible seniors than any other state discount card in America.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Ensure children are immunized & screened for health problems
I have asked the Arizona School Readiness Board to develop a plan to ensure that all children are screened for health problems prior to entering preschool and kindergarten, so that hearing, vision and developmental issues can be identified early on.
We also need to increase the number of children getting basic immunization. One in four Arizona children has not been immunized by age 2, which increases their rate of illness, and even mortality.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Kathleen Sebelius:
Obtain better prices for prescriptions & services
I said I would find better, more efficient ways of delivering services to the more than 450,000 Kansans who rely on the state for health care. To help accomplish that goal, I created the Governor’s Office of Health Planning and Finance.
Its small but talented staff is already hard at work on plans to obtain better prices for prescription drugs and other health care services by leveraging our buying power in the marketplace.
Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Page last updated: Nov 30, 2018