Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Insure the Uninsured, Pt.2 -- Expanding the Insurance Partnership program.

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In addition to these requirements, the qualifying small businesses must have 50, or less, employees, in order to join the Insurance Partnership. This applies to both employer and employee, no matter the 300% pay level. Because of this, the effort to assist those without health insurance in Massachusetts has evolved into a very lopsided direction. There is a very unfortunate nitch group, who seem to be out of luck. These are those small-business employees between 200% - $300% of the federal poverty level who have not been “crowded out”. All the people around them with the same pay qualify for Insurance Partnership assistance, but they do not. The MA health care reform can’t help them. For years they struggle to pay for employer-based health insurance with no end in sight. Meanwhile, people all around them haven’t paid a dime for the employer-based health insurance and receive the subsidy. But neither can any of those who work for larger companies qualify. The part-time employees at the same income level who aren’t eligible for either type of plan, at least, can apply for Commonwealth Care subsidization regardless of company size.

I believe Ms. Jennings take is this. It makes more sense to expand the Insurance Partnership than Commonwealth Care because, that way the employers will be contributing half of the cost of their health insurance plan to the fund. “Level the playing field among our productive employees in the commonwealth”, as she puts it. Tend to those “productive” employees whose incomes are within the in-between level and struggling. Not only would this plan be much cheaper, but this may prevent a mass exodus of employees jumping into the state plan and giving up their traditional employer-based health insurance. She explains that this idea is already being presented to “the Connector” and to the state Legislature.