Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Those Worst Off, Pt.4 – Where is the ‘godsend’?

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Those half-way states have, at least enacted the requirement of offering health insurance to all applicants, including those with ill-health. But only Massachusetts has gone the extra mile to make that health insurance affordable. Even the Mass – Model still has some rough edges, though. Like future subsidized health insurance funding and addressing that nitch of ‘just above being poor’. But as it is in those other states, it’s as Kevin says in his fine article “For those who can afford the premiums, or who qualify for subsidies in the 13 states that provide them, the high-risk programs can be a godsend.

Another story on this matter is provided by Mr. Sack in his article describes a couple who have both been battling with cancer for the last 10 years. They are also in a Maryland plan and their premiums run about $22,232 a year. They have already been rejected by 25 ‘commercial’ health insurance companies. They, however, are more fortunate than the gentleman described earlier and can afford the $22,232 per year. They estimate that, without this coverage, they would have to pay about $40,000 annually just for medication. So they consider the state’s plan a ‘godsend’.

The Maryland plan’s director, Richard Popper explains to us that roughly 20% of the 14,000 Maryland residents enrolled in this plan are provided with state subsidies for their health insurance. These subsidies will actually drop their health insurance premium rates to less than the market rate for a healthy person in the open market.

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