From the AARP Bulletin July/August
MASSACHUSETTS
Mandatory Health Care Coverage for all residents
Uninsured must buy coverage by 1 July 07
Individuals who do not comply will lose their personal Tax exemption in 07
and will face fines of 50% of the monthly cost of insurance for each month without it.
Will not be compelled to buy insurance if they can't find affordable coverage. ["Affordable" not yet defined]
Early Estimates- $300 Individual $600 Couple
Comprehensive for a family currently $12-14,000 annually
All employers required to offer insurance or contribute $295 annually for each uninsured employee
"Subsidized" premiums on sliding scale for those with incomes of up to 300% of the federal poverty level
"The law will force you to purchase either something you can't affor or something you can afford but which will be nearly useless in the actual coverage it offers."~ David Himmelstein MD, Assoc Professor of medicien at Harvard
Ben, a 23 year old sales assistant earning $25,000 a year in Mass, has been uninsured since he graduated high school. Five years later, he has considerable debt from bills for appendicitis, mono, and bronchitis, but says health insurance is still "astronomically too much money."
Offered two jobs that were less money but great benefits, he chose a higher paying job with no insurance because "I'd have to pay so much out of my check each week that I wouldn't be able to pay my other bills."
VERMONT
Voluntary program start 1 Oct 2007
Employers with 8 or more employees pay up to $365/yr for every uninsured employee
Portable coverage through private insurers, defined benefits, annual caps on out-of-pocket
Subsidized premiums, sliding scale with incomes up to 300% of federal poverty level
Estimated cost- $340 Individual
"Most folks tell us they do not want to be in a high deductible health saving account where they're paying maybe $5000 out of pocket before they reach some kind of catastrophic benefit."~ AARP
Robert Gosselin of Newport, Vt, is self-employed in the timber business. He and wife have been uninsured for 10 years, since their high deductible plan became unaffordable at $650/mo. "It was like, do you want to eat or have health insurance?"
He's still paying a debt of $11,500 for recent emergency medical services.
For years his family went to a Canadian doc for primary care. "This guy was good. You could just walk into his office. Cost you 20 bucks. Down here in the states you're looking at $120 - $150." In the 90s, he had 2 employees. He offered to pay 50% of their $500/mo premiums. "They wouldn't do it because it was still too expensive."
