Portland petition would give free health care to kids.

A Portland doctor submitted signatures for a local measure mandating the City and schools to fund free health care for Portland students. Projected cost = $3 million. Don McIntire of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon was highlighted on KATU-2 TV as saying “There is nothing in our constitution, especially not the city charter, that says that everyone is entitled to health insurance,” he said. “I mean, the government doesn’t guarantee your house, your food, your clothing.”

This petition follows the trend to solve the health care problems, not by making it more affordable but rather by forcing other people to give it for free. The definition for the measure’s free health care is simple — no insurance for three months. There is no income requirement so anyone can simply drop their coverage, wait a while and then get the free coverage from the schools. It is an invitation for financial mismanagement and social irresponsibility.

Portland should consider other state’s example where they are allowing health insurance companies to offer just-the-basics coverage (without the costly government mandates) which is affordable to lower income families who need it. More government is not always the answer.