Residents Get The Scoop On Universal Health Care Law
by Matthew Keogh, Medford Transcript
11/2/2006
Health care proponents have been championing long-fought for improvements signed into law by legislators earlier this year, which aim to provide insurance for all Massachusetts citizens, regardless of their income.
However, the myriad changes have also brought about confusion for many in the state, and to help clear the air, Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville, held an informational session for a number of local communities at the Grace Episcopal Church on Oct. 26.
"We are here tonight to find out just what this new law can do, and what it can do for you," Jehlen told a packed audience which also included Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Medford, and Melissa Shannon, chairman of Health Care for All.
Shannon outlined the sometimes esoteric minutia of the new law, which will be in effect by 2008. However, Shannon and other representatives said there still may be a lot of room for change.
Specifically, Shannon and others said they hoped to limit a law that will assess fees of $150 per month for uninsured citizens.
While the new law will make a number of affordable health care options available to residents who previously did not have access, she said the state must still establish a reasonable standard for just what is affordable.
Shannon and Sciortino both said laws assessing fines of $295 a year per uninsured worker for employers was likely set too low to hit employers where it hurts and persuade them to provide reasonable health care.
People unable to qualify for the MassHealth insurance program who make less than $28,000 per year could subscribe to Commonwealth Care starting this month. Commonwealth Care is an all-encompassing health-care package that carries a monthly fee of $18 to $108, Shannon said.
The new health care reforms are being mulled over by a 10-person board comprised of health care and insurance representatives, and Shannon said she was hopeful they would adopt real-world price standards.
Others in attendance said they were still concerned over extended coverage for graduate students and immigrants, while others said they were wary of the proposed $150 fine.
While admitting that many questions were still to be answered, Sciortino said he was proud to be a part of a history-making process that would provide the dream of universal health care to Massachusetts residents.
"I think in two years you will have a better system, one that looks different from what's on paper now," Sciortino said. "But this wasn't just a political decision, this was a moral and ethical obligation to our constituents."