On ABC Evening news there was a y2k segment reporting among other things that the Medicaid program in 38 states is likely to fail at date rollover....I was astounded at their lack of "spin" this time.

Did anyone else see this? I tuned in halfway through so didn't get the whole segment.

gotitlongago@gnorth.com

-- J.Amphlett (vacajohn@jccomp.com), September 22, 1999

Answers

Slow... aren't they? Better late than never.

Diane

See thread...

Medicaid System at Risk of Failing in Over Half of States

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001PI0

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 22, 1999.

Gary North has conjectured that once we got down to the Double Digits in terms of # of days remaining until 1/1/2000, the press would suddenly start focusing on things like this. With the result that the ability to prepare on a personal level may be drastically curtailed due to the vast number of people suddenly Getting It.

Get ready....

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), September 22, 1999.

Jack

It wouldn't take Gary North to figure out that we are running out of time. The 100 day "push" seems to be a big issue amoung the press on the net. You will hear about it.

Gary North's days are done. IMHO

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 22, 1999.

Yes I saw it. At the end a talking head came on and told the public "do not PANIC." Yes, they used the P WORD ON NATIONAL TV.

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), September 22, 1999.

Husby & I saw it, too. LOVED that last line: "Don't panic"

Like being up to your neck in the water and having the lifeguard holler out to you "Don't mind the sharks!!!"

Huh???

-- Arewyn (isitthatlate@lready.com), September 22, 1999.

Isn't this enough to prepare? The pollies don't seem to think so. I'll never figure people like that out. I've stated for 3+ years now that even if our infrastructure manages to hold by some miracle, our economy could tumble to nothing but rubble. This article alone, is enough to make me prepare. Think of the impact. Think of all those people pissed off.

-- Larry (cobol.programmer@usa.net), September 22, 1999.

More on this thread:

Article about the new Senate Y2K Report

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 22, 1999.

It wasn't the "don't panic" that did it for me, it was the long, meaningful, would-I-lie-to-you, we're-all-in-this-together eye contact. I'd give that guy my wallet, wouldn't you? Wonder what the conversation was in the studio, when they got off the air.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), September 22, 1999.

My girlfriend's job is funded by Medicaid....

Link please.....

She's been listening to Steve Hewitt on Hank Hannegraaf's Bible Answer Man Show today. She doesn't know of this dimwit, but we do...

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), September 22, 1999.

PJC,

Ha! That show deserves a thread of it's own! Steve said that all showstoppers found in y2k testing were memes. That's right, not one happened.

Did you hear that show? I didn't hear the whole thing, but I heard enough to make me want to spit nails.

No wonder you need a link for your girlfriend, the one Diane provided earlier in this thread is a good one.

I am disappointed in Hank, BTW.

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), September 22, 1999.

Sounds like the talking heads have their very own copies of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitch Hikers Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects.

First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words "Dont Panic" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover...

gad...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), September 22, 1999.

Mac,

lol, The Hitch Hiker's Guide has been on my mind of late, especially the line (loosely quoted) 'Humans have a habit of stating the obvious.'

No more Chinese carry out? I will faint. (McD's eww yuk.)

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), September 22, 1999.

http://abcnews.go.com/onair/worldnewstonight/transcripts/wnt990922_y2k _transcript.html

Y2K Still Poses Threat

World News Tonight

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

(This is an unedited, uncorrected transcript.)

PETER JENNINGS Back in Washington today, the Treasury secretary said he would not support any future lending to Russia until the money was better protected. Larry Summers said he was in favor of helping Russia, but given problems with the rule of law there, it makes more sense, he said, to be more careful. In Washington, the Senate committee in charge of evaluating the countrys preparations for the year 2000 computer problem has decided to release its final report tomorrow. Its 100 days tomorrow until the new millennium, and ABCs James Walker has had an early look at the report.

JAMES WALKER, ABCNEWS (VO) The report says that overall, the United States has made enormous progress, that banks, ATM machines, brokerage firms, major phone companies and large utilities are ready for the millennium. But there are specific problems still. It says local and regional power outages are a distinct possibilitywhere it does not say. It warns that 800,000 small and medium-sized businesses are extremely unprepared for Y2K. That could disrupt delivery of parts to larger companies. It also warns imported oil shipments could be interrupted because four key producers have not fixed their computers. The biggest concern is Medicaid computers in 30 states and the District of Columbia are at considerable risk of failure. That could jeopardize health care for millions of Americans.

NORMAN DEAN, CENTER FOR Y2K AND SOCIETY It would take nothing short of a miracle for all of the hospital, nursing homes and clinics to get ready in time.

JAMES WALKER (VO) Chairman Robert Bennett concedes there are no guarantees. SEN ROBERT BENNETT, (R), SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON Y2K TECH PROBLEM Weve never been through anything like this. We just dont know.

JAMES WALKER (on camera) Officials do say there is absolutely no cause for people to panic. James Walker, ABCNEWS, Washington.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), September 23, 1999.

Thanks Linkmeister!

Can just see their faces, in my mind's eye.

;-D

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 23, 1999.

Medicaid co-payments last fall (mid-Sept) already failed (were wrongly calculated) and resulted in overcharges of approximately 650 million due to y2k program faults.

Congress had to "re-appropriate" and re-assign money to cover the error, but I don't think everybody affected has received the rebates yet.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 23, 1999.