Good Morning!

Well, it's been quite a week. As most of you know, I'm on new job number two for 2009, and have spent all of the last week in training (and away from dear bloggie!). Next week it's more of the same, only I'll be with my team and learning what it is I'm *actually* supposed to do.

I'll be eligible for benefits in 30 days, which comes as a great relief. I've been on COBRA since February. You know I live in the only state that has a mandated (and unfunded) universal health care requirement. The way Mitt had the law written, everyone in this Commonwealth is required to purchase healthcare. We get a little document from our carrier every year at tax time stating this, or we face a major tax hit. (Yes, we're penalized if we don't have insurance.)

In order to make it 'easier' for folks to comply, Herr Romney created something called the Commonwealth Connector. All the insurance providers in Massachusetts got together and tried to come up with some 'affordable' options for people to buy. Why doesn't everyone take a minute to check it out. Click on the 'find insurance' button and pretend you live here. How much does your plan cost? (remember, that's out-of-pocket to you.)

When I was first out of work, I priced several plans. One of the options wound up being about $100 less than my COBRA payment, but as I read further into it, the copays, deductibles, and other patient responsibilities kept adding up and it didn't make sense to switch. In the end, we qualified for ARRA payments and have been paying roughly what I would normally contribute in an employer-based plan.

But is RomneyCare working? It's true that the majority of persons in the Commonwealth are covered, but at what cost?






And what of the uninsured? There's a law on the books here that states no medical provider can turn away a patient in need, regardless of their ability to pay. (not all states have this; your mileage may vary.) Before RomneyCare, every provider in the Commonwealth paid a percentage of their profits to something called the "Free Care Pool", and in turn, when they had an uninsured patient, they could file a claim against the pool and get a partial payment for their services. RomneyCare assumes that everyone now has insurance, so the pool has been getting smaller and smaller every year since the law went into effect.

Unfortunately, the number of uninsured isn't decreasing at the same pace, so providers are still treating people who can't afford to pay. Only now, instead of having a state safety net so they can get at least minimal payments, there is none....so they end up eating those costs. It's not been widely reported in the media, but those of us in the business know that hospitals are bleeding money and many big name places in the city are on the verge of bankruptcy....and doctors in private practice (particularly General Practitioners, or your family doctor) are leaving the state in droves for greener pastures, or leaving the industry entirely because they can't make any money at it anymore.

Many in Washington are pointing to us and saying "see, it can be done!" But like our differently-winged friends keep telling us at the protests this year, 'Read the Bill' and see what the real cost of healthcare reform is in Massachusetts. It's not really working out.