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.
"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.
MassHealth Advocacy Guide, revised in September 2006, is available.
