Our View

Our View

Privatization of home health service good for state, patients

Any successful business person knows fully well when the products or services are substandard, the financial losses become a major factor and the options exhausted, it is time for some very tough decisions to be made.

Based on the enormous challenges facing this state’s Department of Health, considering the costs to the Arkansas taxpayers, and the negative impact upon the people it serves, it is certainly understandable and long overdue that the decision was made to sell its in-home health care services program to a private enterprise.

Naturally, there are some politicians questioning how the sale of this dysfunctional public service will mean in regard to the services provided, as if this private entity is capable of doing any worse than what was being provided, or lack there of by the state.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office has put out that after figuring costs associated with the sale and transition, including retention bonuses for bout 1,800 employees and contract workers, the state will net about $24 million from the sale.

Hutchinson has assured the political skeptics that the process was done in such a way that it protects the interests of the state while at the same time provides the necessary and appropriate services to those in need. Furthermore, and for the sake of being politically correct, the employees were protected, which we assume means that they were absorbed by this company, called Kindred Health Care Inc.

As we understand it, Kindred is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company based in Louisville, Ky. It reported revenue of $7.2 billion last year and has 102,000 employees in 46 states, including Arkansas.

It would be hard for us to imagine that this obviously very successful company could be any worse than what this bureaucratic, tax supported state agency provided, can you?

In fact, we’d be willing to be a dollar to a donut that this private company will greatly improve the services to the scores of Arkansans dependent upon in-home health care, while at the same time make a profit.

This is just another excellent example as to how Gov.

Hutchinson governs, with a mindset that equates to how private enterprise functions. Far too long have we allowed career politicians and lifelong bureaucrats create wasteful governmental programs with total disregard for the public interests or the taxpayers money.

From our understanding, Kindred will acquire the Health Department’s 74 home health care locations that provide services in 69 counties; seven offices that provide hospice services in 42 counties; and its personal- care services.

We certainly can’t help but believe that those elected officials with any good common sense can agree that this deal will reduce a tremendous amount of pressure on this state agency.

As most lawmakers know, but few will admit, this inhome health care service has been a losing enterprise for a long time and finally something is being done to correct the situation.

This is just another plus for Gov. Hutchinson and one that should be remembered by concerned Arkansas taxpayers.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

BIBLE VERSE

Exodus Chapter 20: 8-17