Nope not kidding, this happened. The
Healthy Minnesota Contribution program (privatization of the MinnesotaCare
program) was supposed to shift 4,200 people to a voucher system, but apparently
it isn’t really getting off the ground. I wonder why?
So one woman, Judie Nvholm, 61, has
been without insurance since July when she was dropped from MinnesotaCare. She
said, “One month came up, and I had $52 a month too much for one month, so they
dropped me and told me that I could go on the Healthy Minnesota Contribution
Program.”
Nvholm is a subject of an experiment
“being discussed,” but I’d argue implemented, on the state and federal level.
It comes down to instead of relying on state-subsidized, government-based
health insurance, individuals would be eligible for a state voucher of $395
monthly to buy health insurance from the private market. Sounds like a stellar
idea guys, how much does individual health insurance cost again?
Now, Nvholm receives Social Security
and has a part-time job, but she says the insurance available is still too
expensive. One option she found had the $30 monthly premium (like MinnesotaCare),
but required her to pay $10,000 deductible before it kicked in. Wrap your minds
around that.
Don’t worry though, Nvholm has
resorted to conservative medicine, “If I’m making $19,000 a year with a
part-time job and Social Security and I have to pay $10,000 a year for my
health care, let’s hope to Got that I don’t get sick. That’s all I can do is
pray that I don’t get sick.”
I’m sure that is as effective as
insurance. Nvholm is one of 1,200 of the 4,200 people who lost their
MinnesotaCare coverage, and who are now getting the subsidy, which is below the
department’s projections. The Minnesota Human Services Assistant Commissioner
Scott Leitz says,
“We are seeing fewer people who were previously enrolled in MinnesotaCare who are purchasing coverage through the Healthy Minnesota Coverage Program. As people transition from programs, there’s a possibility that you’ll see fewer people taking up a newer program then as they transition out of an older one. For some individuals, it may be that the up-front cost sharing is something they aren’t interested in.”
A gentleman and a scholar this one.
The Minnesota GOP really wanted this when they took control in January 2011. Originally,
they wanted vouchers for everyone on MinnesotaCare, but instead they came to an
agreement with Gov. Mark Dayton in 2011. This was expected to save taxpayers
$36 million over the next three years. Republican state Sen. David Hann, the
chief author of the bill and member of the Minnesota Association of Health
Underwriters, believes the state should share more information with the
insurance companies about the people who need coverage. He said:
“What some of the insurance folks are saying is that you should allow us to know who those people are who are eligible so we can go and invite them or reach out to them and say, ‘here’s some things you can look at.’”
I’m glad the insurance companies have
someone looking out for them. Of course state privacy laws prohibit this. Oh,
they have privacy laws in Minnesota? Didn’t see that coming.
Rep. Tom Huntley is the incoming
chair of the House Health and Human services committee. He is calling for
hearings on the program. He says,
“I’m not opposed to trying some experiments and trying something new, but then you have to analyze it and say did this work or didn’t it work? And it doesn’t seem to be working.”
Just to be clear, we’re ok with
experiments on poor people when it comes to their health? I’m not ok with that.
Advocates for low income Minnesotans want MinnesotaCare to cover these individuals
again. However, expanding MinnesotaCare would cost the state, and Minnesota is
facing $1.1 billion projected budget deficit. With Obamacare about to change
the insurance landscape in 2014 it might not be worth the trouble. What the
what? I know at least one person who thinks it is worth the trouble, and 1,199
more.
The original article was from
Minnesota Public Radio and Tom
Scheck.
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