Mr. DiMasi, do you have the guts to respond?

This law is not even close to a success when only 3% to 4% of people that have been nailed by the Connector’s math wizard for the plans above $57 month have enrolled.

The costs are too high for low-wage earners who are trying to keep a roof over their heads, heat and eat, pay property taxes, etc. as the cost of everything soars higher each month. Copays were not calculated into the costs per an op ed column in the Globe in April and the fact that the Connector needs to monitor how many will be able to attain care (i.e. pay the copays plus not get bamboozled by the HMOs which is what HMOs do best) and how many go into debt says it all. Just who do you think you and the people on the Connector are? Gods?

You show only utter disrespect for the hard-working residents of MA who are struggling to make ends meet on mostly stagnate incomes as you pat yourself on the back, day after day, supporting this aggregious mandate that will put many individuals and families into debt or further debt than they may already be. And to financially penalize those who cannot afford to purchase these inadequate plans is a heinous act because they cannot afford the penalities either.

The Connector hasn’t even bothered to figure into their equations the sporadic incomes of those who are self-employed or who have 2 and 3 part-time jobs with varied hours among other scenarios. They just barrel onward congratulating themselves that they’ve done such a fine job and dreaming that the insurance companies will so happy to have all these new customers that they will lower their costs next year and provide better coverage. What planet do these people live on?

What about small businesses who opt for the $295 fee per uninsured employee and then get hit with the $50,000 penalty under the “free rider” clause? These small businesses will probably go bankrupt.

Yesiree! This mandated insurance will no nothing more than cause worse economic crisis in this state than already exists, except possibly for the $0 premium enrollees who, for the most part, were already enrolled in Mass Health. All you had to do there was flick your Bic and change the name of the plan.

The total of the monies spent thus far on the enormous salaries of the Connector and the rest of the bureaucracy, the administrative costs of the private insurance companies, advertising in the millions and going higher everyday, lobbying by the insurance/medical/pharma cartel which is surely built into the cost of these plans as well as those of residents who are already insured through their jobs could have already been used to help fund single-payer, quality, comprehensive HEALTHCARE for every resident in MA, regardless of income.

But then, alas, all of you would lose out if you removed the private companies from the picture.

And when I hear, “Well, it’s a start, it’s not perfect,” I cringe because you are playing with people’s lives. The answer to expanding health insurance is most certainly not to experiment with the most vulnerable of taxpayers.

Shame on you.

How sad if Mr. DiMasi and other legislators truly believe that this law is the best that we, that they, can do for now. Special interests must not trump the health and economic needs and interests of regular people.

We must encourage — demand, in fact — that legislators and our Governor do more to meaningfully address the healthcare mess. People’s lives and livelihoods depend on it, as does the entire state’s economic health.

There are so many reasons to be alarmed about the way this reform plan is unfolding, including how it worsens instead of relieves the already crushing financial burden of healthcare spending on taxpayers and family members across Massachusetts. Why are there no standards or rules for insurers and other wealthy “stakeholders” as to how they spend our hard-earned hc dollars. Setting reasonable limits on administration and advertising/marketing seems like a wise thing to do.

Why was this not done in the new law?

The high cost/ unaffordability of quality insurance issue has a direct negative impact on access to timely needed care, as the recent Access Project report confirms. It is entitled “The Illusion of Coverage: How Health Insurance Fails People When They Get Sick.” Among its findings: Underinsurance (into which they include insurances with $2000 in deductibles) results in poor access to care sometimes resulting in increased cost from lack of preventive care, increase in personal debt and bankruptcy, change in employment, access to credit, and psychological consequences. For more information, see http://www.accessproject.org.

Many front-line health care professionals (myself among them) have been educating ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities about these concerns and the need to re-chart the course of this largely faux reform.

Anyone – clinician, patient, plumber, teacher – everyone who cares about attaining quality affordable healthcare for all can help get the state on a healthier course by signing a new petition opposing the inadequate and unaffordable new insurance plans in this law. The petition was started this week by a number of highly respected physicians in Massachusetts, including a former U.S. Surgeon General. If you have questions about it you can email: director@MassCare.org

Please take 2 minutes now to read and to sign your name to this online petition at:
http://www.pnhp.org/MApetition.php

Thank you.

Sounds simple? Yet to this date I have no idea even who to ask.

Speaker DiMasi and his colleagues are gutless! What we need is a basic level of health care which is taxpayer funded. After that your’re on your own. That mean that pre and post natal coverage would be extra and if you have a bunch of kids you pay more in taxes.