Comments on: “A Health Reform Milestone” by Leslie Kirwan

By: altruance

altruance — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:25:04 +0000

We are seeing 30% or more increases for many of our clients in California and Texas for their 2010 renewals. How is the MA plan doing in terms of controlling premium increases? It looks like nationwide that we can no longer afford to not reform health care.
http://www.altruance.com/2010/02/can-we-afford-not-to-reform-health-care/

By: oreo

oreo — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:58:24 +0000

Who do you think that you are kidding? We just got our annual increase of 9.3 percent. The year before percentage increase I have forgotten. But the previous year is was a tad over 30 percent.

We are self employed and self insured. We now pay 1750 per month for a plan that has co-pays, deductibles, and no dental. This is for a family of three.

I looked at the comm connector plans and they range from 1050 to 2800 per month. I question – to whom is that “affordable”?

On the conn health plan there is no assistance if one makes over 53k per year. In this state that is not much at all.

After paying for med insurance ourselves for the past 20 years here are my ideas:
1 – ALL state and ALL municipal plans be offered to all self employed people *and for the same price*. We are told that govt workers are our employees and we should be offered to purchase the exact same plan at the same price.
2 – All med insurance premiums should be fully deductible like big businesses get. If the self employed small businesses were to get organized they could certainly strike and hurt this state financially.
3 – all rates be the same for EVERYONE. No more different prices for companies and govt. Everyone should be paying the same instead of this cost fixing which just places the largest increases on the self employed / self insured group. And as they get priced out they go on the uninsured plan and increase the rates for everyone (with the largest increase going to the self employed group).
4 – all businesses dump their med insurance plans. Hand the employees the money and let them go on the private market and purchase it. Let’s have some open competition instead of personal depts within companies getting lower rates.

I have yet to see ANY newspaper publish the rates the state pays or local towns pay. Its cute how the state offers towns to go onto their plan. Yet they do NOT offer it to the small businesses.

By: Commonhealth » Blog Archive » HEALTH REFORM’S SECOND BIRTHDAY by Leslie Kirwan

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:40:43 +0000

[...] I actually blogged a year ago, immediately following the first birthday of health care reform. And that blog likewise began, “Yesterday was an important day for health care reform in Massachusetts.” I was [...]

By: Mrs. Malone

Mrs. Malone — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:10:21 +0000

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights has completed an important analysis of the Massachusetts health reform plan.

“Mass. Promise of “Universal” Health Care Forgotten –Needed Care Would Be Unaffordable Under Insurance Mandate; State Analysis Finds Insurance Too Costly for Families, Older Consumers”

This important national News release is available on the internet at http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/pr/?postId=7701&pageTitle=Mass.+Promise+of+%22Universal%22+Health+Care+Forgotten+–+Needed+Care+Would+Be+Unaffordable+Under+Insurance+Mandate%3B

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:54:42 +0000

This law is far-reaching, yes, but even so it’s mere tinkering. Taxpayers, premium payers, employers, all of us need and deserve MUCH MORE and much better reform than what this law does. As a long-time citizen and health professional in this state I am disgraced that we have introduced the misguided concept of an “individual commercial insurance mandate” on not only on everyone in our state but the entire nation. Helping the poor is the good part of this law but other components of it will be harmful to people’s health and economic well being. We must change it before this happens.

Voters and honest policy makers readily acknowledge that the insurance industry is more a part of the problem than a part of the effective solution. The Chapter 58 reform law is built on forcing people to buy private insurance products.

Here’s the reason why: Elected legislators, including those in “leadership” positions, have stated publicly when meeting with groups of citizens that “No bill gets through the legislature without the approval of the insurance companies. It’s been that way for a long long time and it’s still the reality”.

Many of us on the front lines of health care– providers, our patients, and their families–wonder why the public was not informed about this “mandate to buy insurance” proposal for state healthcare reform before it was made into law. Even though it feels much too late in the process we are looking forward to participating in the required public hearings on this new law. Please share details on these meetings as widely as possible. Thank you.

I urge readers to look at this excellent health reform article “Enough Tinkering” at http://bookclub.tpmcafe.com/blog/bookclub/2007/apr/10/enough_tinkering

By: Roxanne Reddington-Wilde

Roxanne Reddington-Wilde — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:57:57 +0000

Leslie Kirwan’s comment that Massachusetts is “walking a tightrope” when it comes to health reform is only all to accurate. Quality coverage and affordability seem to be at either end of this tightrope and linking them together a fragile act.
We are all crossing our fingers that the compromises put into place yesterday and this past year to bring the state to both quality and affordable health insurance for all will actually work. This blog is excellent but too few uninsured in the Commonwealth are aware that December 31st is the deadline for them to sign up or pay the penalty. For the general public, health reform is as sleeper an issue as Medicare Part D was. And, as a human services provider, I remember the chaos we faced as its prescription drug plans first hit.

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), where I work, is hosting a policy discussion next Wednesday on health reform for community members, providers and others. Many of the people active in this blog will be on its panel.

“Are We There Yet? Moving to quality, universal and affordable health insurance in Massachusetts”

Wednesday, April 18th
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Cass Room, ABCD
178 Tremont St.
Downtown Boston (opposite Boyleston Green Line T-stop)

Speakers include:
*Richard Lord, Associated Industries of Massachusetts and member of the Connector Board
*Frances Ma, South Cove Community Health Center
*Ann Malone, UMass Boston College of Nursing & Alliance to Defend Health Care
*Brian Rosman, Health Care for All

To RSVP or for more information, please contact me by e-mail at redwilde@bostonabcd.org