There is a sharp rise in requests for free and subsidized health coverage as the economic downturn continues. 10,000 residents applied for MassHealth this month as compared to 6,000 a month last Fall. The state’s Medicaid director, Tom Dehner offers one possible explanation.
I anticipate that this increased volume and higher enrollment numbers are going to be directly connected to people who lost employer sponsored insurance.
Dehner says, based on the numbers right now, the state has set aside enough money to handle the increase. The state’s Commonwealth Care program is seeing a more modest increase in enrollment.
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Commonwealth Care premiums were too expensive in 2007 for many. Residents who allowed themselves to be intimidated by the Connector’s coercive marketing strategies ended up making a purchase that was not affordable only to find out they couldn’t come up with the cash to use the insurance. This was well-documented in the statewide survey conducted by Community Partners and reports by The Access Project.
Nonetheless, the Connector increased the premiums and copays substantially, thereby, exacerbating the problem for this population but saving money for the state and insurers because this would discourage seeking care.
The struggle for the past several years to put food on the table, pay for the roof over one’s head which, in many cases, includes property taxes, and to come up with the cash for heat, electricity, phone, food and gas has become increasingly difficult as the basic cost of living continues to increase while incomes decrease or become non-existant.
Those who are self-employed have lost much of their work over the past year but do not receive unemployment benefits and are really in a bind.
Enrollment in Commonwealth Care plans has been flat for the past year, and, in fact, began to decline in November 2008 and will undoubtedly stay about the same with about 72 percent in the free plans, 16 percent or so paying a very small premium, and perhaps 12 percent paying a more substantial amount. This does not indicate success, and certainly should be a red alert to those who are working on the national plan.
But, alas, the latter is not interested in red alerts because they have an agenda – most are in the pockets of the for-profit insurers and are more than willing to sell us to the highest bidder(s) – the same thing that the MA politicians did to us. And all behind closed doors in both cases because if the general public knew the details, there would be a loud noise and some serious ruckus.
Thus, so-called national health care reform will be one of the biggest heists in American history – they already sold the seniors down the river to Big Pharma – this will complete the package.
Any national plan that resembles the MA model will not work – just as it is not working in MA – too many residents are being exploited, and the state cannot sustain this model even with Federal aide. Having a health insurance card does not mean one has access to care. It will be worse on a national level for too many reasons to go into on this blog.
America is a corporatocracy to the nth degree and is run by a government that cares not about its people. If Obama truly wanted everyone in this nation to have access to affordable, quality, EQUITABLE health CARE, he would stop the nonsensical antics going on in the U.S. Congress – the riduclous so-called health care reform proposals that represent nothing but layer upon layer of bureaucracy designed to increase profits of the medical industrial complex at our expense, and he would put single-payer at the forefront of the discussion.
From what I read and hear, it is apparent, thus far, that he really doesn’t want to provide care to all Americans in an equitable and fiscally responsible manner. Shame on him. Shame on America.
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