The Connector Board had another policy meeting yesterday. After the meeting they posted their Policy Committee Recommendations. They did detail recommendation for the high end of coverage called the Premier Plan. Seems similar to any other commercial insurance HMO in the market today, but adding an additional choice is not a bad thing. It also establishes a benchmark where they can note, for example, that the Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) is 60% of the Premier plan.
Premier Plan Design
Individual premium (monthly): $486
Office visits: $10
Inpatient admission: No charge
Outpatient day surgery: No charge
Emergency room: $50 (waived if admitted)
Rx benefit: $10/$25/$45
Deductible: None
Lifetime maximum: None
The real question is determining the MCC, what are the deductibles, monthly premiums, are prescription drugs covered, does it include a number of covered sick visits without hitting the deductible, etc. The group decided to put off those recommendations until their January meeting. What’s important here is that Deval Patrick will be Governor and he will be appointing/replacing committee members. Some might think that Patrick is stuck with something else to decide. But I think it was a good move by the Connector Authority to allow the group under the Patrick Administration (I like the way that sounds) to make the final determination.
David: One of the Transition Work Groups is Healthcare. I don’t see a meeting listed, but you don’t happen to know if it under the Human Services meeting?
I appreciate the airing of this issue here on BMG, but please, look to the details of this new law but be ready to get very upset. Much of it really stinks. And it’s gonna take an uprising of We The People, including Mr. Patrick, to fix it.
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Relevant to what should be perceived as a collective cause for concern is the below comment made on Health Care For All’s blog in reply to the posting of recent minutes of the new law’s Advisory Board public meeting:
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Multiple independent critiques of the new MA health reform plan have been written and published by experts across the nation, including a senior health policy researcher at Consumers Union. Many of these critiques are posted on the website of the Alliance to Defend Health Care and others can be found at the Mass-Care website. Please inform yourself and share info. with family, neighbors and co-workers. You might also want to give your legislators’ offices a call if you conclude there should be changes made to the new health law plan. State House switchboard 617-722-2000.
The point is they postponed the recommendation for a few months so that the group would include the Patrick appointees (2 if i’m correct). I think that is a good thing.
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Looking at the spreadsheet and the averages they put out there it’s scary. The deductibles are insane and you are pretty much choosing one of four commercial carriers. I asked when’s the Healthcare meeting since it’s a discussion worth having with the work group. You don’t agree?
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While I agree overall with the single payor healthcare model discussed, it’s not going to happen in the next 7 months when this goes into effect. While continuing the fight is necessary it also is defeatism on what will happen next year. We can’t just complain when this goes into effect and do nothing to try to change it.
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We need to make this existing plan better, the deductibles for the MCC should be lower, the premiums more affordable, drug benefit and include some sick visits AND we should continue to work on the single payor model.
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(I’m being serious) That’s unless you think there is any kind of shot that this could all be reversed and the state will instead go with a government agency. Do you think there is a shot?
but we must give voice to what sensible sustainable reforms consist of and what they do not, namely the new Connector Rube Goldberg contraption. yes, we need to try to make it work for as many people while it is a relaity but also to work even harder to change the reality.
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Keep in mind that huge sums are being wasted in the Connector scheme because it builds on the current status quo: bloated bureucracy of private insurance and market-driven competition.
how the commercial model of those that are least able to pay getting second class status is already being codified by chapter 58?
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perhaps the most significant philosophical underpinning of universal healthcare is belief that people should be treated equally irregardless of their economic status.
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certainly the connector is doing the hard task of making the numbers work (albeit with outside pressures not related to things like oh.. a single mother with a sick kid). but i wonder how (dare i say) moral questions make it into the room?
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the technicalities of delivering universal healthcare is really the cart behind the horse. and again i wonder what we will lose amidst the number crunching.
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and unfortunately, i don’t have a link to a chart that expresses this.
the Health Care group is separate from the Human Services group. Health care meetings are reported here.
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“critical step toward an ultimate goal of ensuring health care for every man, woman and child”
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Hmmmmmm….
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I’m going to try to go the meeting in Plymouth on Wednesday.
I was just going to go hunting for an agenda. And Hmmmmm is right. Also an uh-oh might be in order. I’m going to the mtg at Dimmock 12/5. I really hope you can get to the Plymouth mtg and post about it! Thanks again for the agenda details.