quote:

ORIGINAL: fmfclwu

We have the highest premiums because we insure the most people (over 97%) and have the highest standards of coverage in the nation.  When you get more in services, of course you pay more.  Our costs are NOT the fastest growing in the nation - in fact, the individual plan market, which you claimed was so unaffordable, has risen only 2% per year since implementation (Source).  Scare stories about how the cost of the program keeps rising neglect to mention that these cost increases are offset by decreases in the Health Safety Net Fund, which reimburses hospitals for emergency care provided to the uninsured. 

And for anyone arguing that more government involvement always means higher costs, you really need to take your blinders off and look at the rest of the world sometime.  Out of all the UN Countries, the U.S. spends a higher portion of its GDP on healthcare than any other nation except East Timor.  Forget the developed world, we are SECOND TO LAST in the world at controlling health care costs.  And if government involvement always meant higher costs, we would expect a positive correlation between the percentage of healthcare paid for by a government, and the overall cost.  Turns out the correlation works the other way:

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ORIGINAL: maybemaybenot

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ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

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ORIGINAL: flcouple2009

"Perhaps the report’s most troubling finding is that the state relies on the honor system when determining who is eligible for free care — and does not review an applicant’s assets, or even require a Social Security number to verify income, citizenship or address, Sullivan said."

It doesn't take genius to start finding the problems here.

Are there lawyers in the US who know how to write laws to eliminate that shit?
Why arent they being used, this is poor, too damn poor to be amusing
Seems to me thats where most of the issues are, not the poor people or the illegals but the dumbarse  heavily paid  lawyers, yet the poor suffer
AGAIN

Despite my opposition to Public Healthcare, I do have the ability to look at things from both sides. You have absolutely no idea how bad healthcare in Massachusetts is and how Romneycare is killing us. If this " plan " we have is so flipping wonderful... why do we have the highest premiums in the US and the fastest rising healthcare costs ?

People who aren't familiar with Romneycare think it's like univeral healthcare. It is not. Romneycare simply means you are mandated to have healthcare insurance, no matter what. You must purchase it. If that be thru work, so be it. If you fall into a category that makes you eligible for one of the state plans, you also pay for that, and they are not cheap for someone on a Disability check or a limited income. You must also pay your co pays to MDs and for your prescriptions, and the prescription plan is a tiered system, so you may be paying big bucks for your " free healthcare ". Something as simple as Lantus Insulin is a top tier medication.

Romenycare was instituted to insure everyone has coverage, it did not address cost. Cost is not a part of Romneycare. Insurers can still charge as much as they want and increase as they want, and that's exactly what they are doing. Why not ? They have a nice little pool of fish who are forced to pay whatever they say or be fined by the State. As a result the costs just keep going up.

The insurance companies are getting richer and richer and we are paying out the nose for crappy insurance. Over the last few weeks there has been quite a few scandels about BCBS of Mass. It is coming to light exactly how Romnneycare has done nothing but serve the insurance companies, not the people. Business are leaving this state in droves in part due to Romneycare, they cannot afford to keep their employess insured.

mbmbn

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For example, speed of services, and quality of care.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

quote:

ORIGINAL: fmfclwu

We have the highest premiums because we insure the most people (over 97%) and have the highest standards of coverage in the nation.  When you get more in services, of course you pay more.  Our costs are NOT the fastest growing in the nation - in fact, the individual plan market, which you claimed was so unaffordable, has risen only 2% per year since implementation (Source).  Scare stories about how the cost of the program keeps rising neglect to mention that these cost increases are offset by decreases in the Health Safety Net Fund, which reimburses hospitals for emergency care provided to the uninsured. 

And for anyone arguing that more government involvement always means higher costs, you really need to take your blinders off and look at the rest of the world sometime.  Out of all the UN Countries, the U.S. spends a higher portion of its GDP on healthcare than any other nation except East Timor.  Forget the developed world, we are SECOND TO LAST in the world at controlling health care costs.  And if government involvement always meant higher costs, we would expect a positive correlation between the percentage of healthcare paid for by a government, and the overall cost.  Turns out the correlation works the other way:

Sorry, your conclusion and chart may be as correct as far they go, but I see an important factor or two missing in the comparisons and analysis.  For example, speed of services, and quality of care.

Firm

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

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For example, speed of services, and quality of care.

Standards of care do not have to go down. They dont in other countries who utilize the same standards as we do in many areas, especially maternal health.

Speed of service. Might help if you expand on that.

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ORIGINAL: fmfclwu

Good point.  Much better to cling to the 37th ranked healthcare system in the world, for which we pay the second highest cost of ANY nation in the world, than to risk improving our standards and lowering costs.  </sarcasm>

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda
What's the difference between someone who isn't insured taking an unnecessary  ambulance ride to the hospital and never paying for it, and someone taking an unnecessary ambulance ride to the hospital and making the state pay for  it?

Sssshhhhh... as long as the bill's hidden...

Where've you been?!!??!
Stay!!!!! Don't go!!!!!

quote:

ORIGINAL: fmfclwu

Our costs are NOT the fastest growing in the nation - in fact, the individual plan market, which you claimed was so unaffordable, has risen only 2% per year since implementation (Source). 

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ORIGINAL: angelikaJ


There are rather generous allowances for families with children as well as the ability to opt into Mass Health for them.
Also, I can tell you that I am on disabilty and so am on a fixed income.
The guidelines for medicaid (aka Mass-health) have not changed.
I am still eligible.
Once I was on SSDI for 2 years I also became eligible for Medicare, and with my Mass-health eligibility they are picking up the premium.

Oh, and every year I have to recertify my eligibity for Mass-Health and included in that re-cert application is my social security number and initially a copy of my driver's license was needed the first time.

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ORIGINAL: maybemaybenot

Yes, angelika Mass Health is a good plan, better than any private plan I know of. However, not every one who is on SSI Disability is eligible for it. Many, Many are not. They have to purchase Commonweath Care. And it is not cheap, when you factor in what they recieve in SSI each month. I have 2 friends who are on SSI. Both were nurses, one had a stroke and the other had back surgery that is botched. Their checks are less than 2K/mos and they both pay 249/mos and 275/mos. They both are on a lot of meds and they pay good rates for some of their meds and top tier rates for other meds, Neccesary items are not covered. The one with the stroke has very bad leg edema from the stroke. The special stockings she has to wear to help control this are not covered and cost $ 125 dollars per pair. Neither are eligable for food stamps, so when you factor in medical costs, they are left with a big chunk of money gone.

mbmbn

ETA : and keep in mind, it is not only folks recieving a government check who use Commonwealth care, it is working people who generally make income below the poverty level and/or whose small place of business doesn't have private insurance. They also are payingout the nose for, what I consider, crappy insurance.

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What I should have stressed,and do firmly believe,is that for ideological reasons the frequency of these situations are blown out of proportion to the point where the gullible start swearing that this is the norm ....rather than the exception.

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ORIGINAL: maybemaybenot

quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ


There are rather generous allowances for families with children as well as the ability to opt into Mass Health for them.
Also, I can tell you that I am on disabilty and so am on a fixed income.
The guidelines for medicaid (aka Mass-health) have not changed.
I am still eligible.
Once I was on SSDI for 2 years I also became eligible for Medicare, and with my Mass-health eligibility they are picking up the premium.

Oh, and every year I have to recertify my eligibity for Mass-Health and included in that re-cert application is my social security number and initially a copy of my driver's license was needed the first time.

Yes, angelika Mass Health is a good plan, better than any private plan I know of. However, not every one who is on SSI Disability is eligible for it. Many, Many are not. They have to purchase Commonweath Care. And it is not cheap, when you factor in what they recieve in SSI each month. I have 2 friends who are on SSI. Both were nurses, one had a stroke and the other had back surgery that is botched. Their checks are less than 2K/mos and they both pay 249/mos and 275/mos. They both are on a lot of meds and they pay good rates for some of their meds and top tier rates for other meds, Neccesary items are not covered. The one with the stroke has very bad leg edema from the stroke. The special stockings she has to wear to help control this are not covered and cost $ 125 dollars per pair. Neither are eligable for food stamps, so when you factor in medical costs, they are left with a big chunk of money gone.

mbmbn

ETA : and keep in mind, it is not only folks recieving a government check who use Commonwealth care, it is working people who generally make income below the poverty level and/or whose small place of business doesn't have private insurance. They also are payingout the nose for, what I consider, crappy insurance.

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

quote:

ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

What's the difference between someone who isn't insured taking an unnecessary  ambulance ride to the hospital and never paying for it, and someone taking an unnecessary ambulance ride to the hospital and making the state pay for  it?

Sssshhhhh... as long as the bill's hidden...

Where've you been?!!??!

Stay!!!!! Don't go!!!!!

It's up to you that I don't get bored to death again then . (Good to see you too :-).)

Sounds like a bargain. You still like it when I parlez la Francaise, mon petit fleur du matin?

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ORIGINAL: maybemaybenot

And the fact remains, as was in the OP... fraud and corruption is running rampant. The Commonweath of Massachusetts can't even contain the abuse of the system, let alone the runaway cost of the system.

mbmbn

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ORIGINAL: flcouple2009

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ORIGINAL: maybemaybenot

And the fact remains, as was in the OP... fraud and corruption is running rampant. The Commonweath of Massachusetts can't even contain the abuse of the system, let alone the runaway cost of the system.

mbmbn

No,  the real question is right here

“When the state set up the free-care pool, it was supposed to have the most cutting-edge anti-fraud system to go along with it, but it’s not up and running, and because of that, many millions of dollars are being wasted.”

WTF happened?


FLCPL, what happened? Well, in Massachusetts you have some of the most highly educated, *most intelligent people* and the best schools on the planet.
(*Just ask them!)