Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Insure the Uninsured, Pt.1 -- Expanding the Commonwealth Care program.

Julie Jennings of CommonHealth has posted a very good article on the 90.9wbur website, discussing the ramifications of last month’s meeting of the Commonwealth Connector board. The meeting covered “ways to cover 30,000 uninsured residents who can’t afford health insurance offered by their employers,” as Julie puts it. She reports that this Commonwealth Connector board is now looking at expanding their Commonwealth Care program. The main reason is to assist this huge segment currently without health insurance. A very large concern is the projected billion-dollar budget, just for 2009. Another big concern is the swelling effect that may take place if employers decide to move employees over to this “more favorable” opportunity to take advantage of the expanded sublimation offered and do away with their traditional health insurance coverage

The Insurance Partnership has been around for several years, now. This is part of an innovative program that sponsors health insurance for smaller businesses. The way it works is with the employer contributing half, or more, of their employee-based health insurance plan. If they qualify, the state will pick up the employees’ tab. Until recently, qualification only applied to employee health insurance plans for those making less than 200% of the established national poverty level. That changed in Massachusetts, with their aggressive health insurance/care test model. This eligibility level has now been bumped up to 300%. An additional requirement has been tacked on though. Now, there is a requirement that those employees must have been without health insurance for at least six months before applying and the reason must have been a “crowding-out” condition as provided by law.

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