"Outreach & enrollment" means much more than putting up posters and helping people fill out MassHealth applications. Recently, over the course of a two hour appointment, my supervisor and I counseled one household on eleven different public health insurance, subsidy and care programs. We helped them file four separate applications to five different insurance programs, putting together a patchwork of care options to cover the hole left by the loss of employer-sponsored insurance.
It's been reported that over the past year more than about 200,000 Massachusetts residents have been provided access to comprehensive public health insurance: either through Commonwealth Care or MassHealth. What about those who aren't eligible for publicly subsidized programs and must enroll in employer-sponsored plans?
The increased cost of insuring employees and their families has forced many local employers to make hard choices about their insurance offerings.
Over the past few weeks more and more uninsured have come through our doors. In most cases, they are working people unable to sign up for employer-sponsored insurance because monthly premiums can amount to 25-50% of paychecks. People are now aware of the July 1st mandate, and they are becoming anxious. The good news is that most of my clients won't be subject to the individual mandate under the draft affordability schedule. They are comforted to learn that they won't be subject to a tax penalty, but many will remain uninsured because the premiums for employer-sponsored insurance remain out of reach.
