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.
