The economic downtown shaped the conversation at our Boston HAN meeting on November 13, as it had in Amherst the week before. Outreach workers reported a big increase in new applicants; they’re also hoping that an incoming Obama administration might make it easier for some of them to get into the system.
Recently, I contacted a client who had been on and off of Commonwealth Care for a while due to administrative reasons. I was doing a routine follow-up call when he told me that he had just paid $180 for his monthly premium. That didn’t make sense, since I knew he was under 250% of the Federal Poverty Level and had been paying $70 a month previously. He said he couldn’t afford it and was considering cancelling his coverage.
The situation was all too familiar: A young woman and her father met with one of our Community Outreach Workers and asked how to sign up for health insurance. A quick check in My Account Page (MAP) found that her MassHealth Essential had ended mid-month because she had started a new part-time job. MAP also showed she was already Commonwealth Care eligible. The Outreach Worker explained how to enroll in Commonwealth Care and all of the benefits it would provide starting next month.
"Well, the problem is that she’s a heroin addict," the father said. "Her rehab clinic checks her insurance every day and won’t help her out until she gets her insurance back."
The economic downturn shaped a lot of our discussion – how it affects clients, state services, and our own organizations. For example, more clients find themselves in tears during appointments – some with problems like home foreclosure that outreach workers just can’t help fix. Many HAN organizations are taking on additional responsibilities with fewer staff. CP has also cut back staffing; we are now closed on Wednesdays.
At both HAN meetings, Brian Rosman from Health Care For All (HCFA) led a discussion about the next steps in Health Care Reform. Before he spoke, outreach workers exchanged stories about how some of new policies in Health Care Reform are working out in practice.
We’ve asked you to do a lot in the last few weeks, in addition to all you do anyway. Thank you. You’ve probably heard that funding for the MassHealth Outreach and Enrollment Grant program, line item 4000-032, is still in the budget, which means the commitment to your work continues.
Friends, if you are like me, you've spent the week wondering when the cuts will come and how bad they will be. And, you may be struggling to tell people how important your work is - because you're very busy doing it.
As you may have read in our meeting notes, we had the opportunity to talk with Veterans' Services Officer Leo Parent at our September 5 Health Access Network (HAN) meeting. As Leo described his role, we realized how similar the work of Veterans Services Officers (or veterans' agents) and outreach and enrollment workers can be. Both help clients navigate state, federal, and local systems, and secure health care and other benefits for people in their communities. Veterans’ agents help their clients avoid medical debt when they need to seek care outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital system, and help veterans appeal denials of claims.
At our September 5 Western HAN meeting, we met with Leo Parent - an experienced Veterans’ Services Officer in the Western part of the state - and had a lively discussion of enrollment issues.
This summer, MassHealth starting enforcing the rule that households who hadn’t paid their premium bills for 60 days or more would lose their MassHealth or Children’s Medical Security Program (CMSP) coverage. Members of these households may be starting to show up at hospitals and health centers, they may have no coverage, and they can’t get the Health Safety Net.
