Quote:Ouch. Those problems certainly sound painful to deal with. Why is RomneyCare reasonably popular is Massachusetts, then? Is it just that people haven't run into the problems yet?
Sounds to me like there are all sorts of fun holes with the system. Makes me glad I live in single-payer land - don't have to sweat any of it, personally.
-Jester
Where are people espousing the joys of MassHealth? Certainly no one I know of is - at least not anymore. When it first came out, yes. Lots of people sung praises. Finally they could have affordable health care! Mind you, it was mostly for those who were either unemployed, or only had part-time work (and thus absolutely needed MassHealth to qualify for the insurance requirement in the tax code), but still there were positive words about the whole ordeal (at least by some). These days, though, I don't hear too many people jumping with joy about it. I hear about how medical service places are refusing to accept it. I hear about how the insurance companies are jacking up rates to businesses to cover the "costs" of the plan. I hear about how those who fall within the wide gap of the income caps can't afford to get their own health insurance. Maybe I'm not hearing the full spectrum - entirely possible. Mostly I'm hearing about its problems, but perhaps that's from a biased point of view.
I will say, at the very least, it's worrisome when you start hearing about medical providers not accepting MassHealth. Its bad enough when they won't accept some of the private health insurance companies, but to not accept the government-offered insurance (and for the same reasons!)? That is not a good sign. Besides, as I said businesses in Massachusetts are the ones footing the bill for MassHealth. The private insurance companies are forcing large rate increases onto businesses to pay for the deficit MassHealth has cost them, to the extent that the Governor has decided to step in and start working on legislation to prevent it. I have little faith in our Governor to do anything except wring every possible dollar out of the state for his own gains, but that's another issue entirely. Needless to say, something has to be done, and it's a good thing that someone in power is starting to address the issue. I only hope something constructive and meaningful comes out of it all, and soon, or the problems may become far-reaching.
Edit:
Wikipedia was a decent, unbiased write-up on MassHealth. It touches upon some of the inherent problems with the system, but doesn't hit completely home on all of them. On the other hand, it does push the positive aspects of MassHealth, though some of them are rather paper-thin in comparison.
Some of my favorite tidbits:
"In February 2008 the Boston Globe reported that Commonwealth Care covered 169,000 people and had a projected cost of $618 million for the fiscal year. By June 2011 enrollment is projected to grow to 342,000 people at an annual expense of $1.35 billion. The original projections were for the program to ultimately cover approximately 215,000 people at a cost of $725 million."
"Massachusetts' problem of overcrowded waiting rooms and overworked primary-care physicians (who were already in short supply) has been exacerbated by the influx of patients now covered. One criticism of the program is that it has done nothing to realign incentives for MDs to provide primary care."
"Initial bids received by the Connector showed a likely cost for the minimum insurance plan of about $380 per month. The Connector rejected those bids, and asked insurers to propose less expensive plans. New bids were announced on March 3, 2007. The Governor announced that "the average uninsured Massachusetts resident will be able to purchase health insurance for $175 per month."[37] But plan costs will vary greatly depending on the plan selected, age and geographic location, ranging from just over $100 per month for plans for young adults with high copayments and deductibles to nearly $900 per month for comprehensive plans for older adults with low deductibles and copayments."
Roland *The Gunslinger*