State officials acknowledge that insurance is unaffordable for some, but have made no special accommodations for older people. The state intends to fine anyone who doesn't obtain insurance, but will waive the penalty if premiums are deemed unaffordable for an individual.
Older residents feel insurance law pinch
Age-based prices too high for some
By Alice Dembner, Globe Staff | August 17, 2007
Older people shopping for health insurance through the state's new initiative are discovering a sobering reality: Prices for unsubsidized plans are twice as expensive if you're 60 than if you're 27, making insurance unaffordable or barely affordable for many in their later years.
Massachusetts has long allowed age-based pricing of private health insurance plans, but the new requirement that all adults have insurance combined with the new ability to compare plans on the Internet is leading to a mini- revolt.
"That is discrimination," said Evelyn Hartrey, a 60-year-old who found that the least-expensive plan would cost her $352 a month, while a 27-year-old would pay $176 for the same coverage.
Hartrey, who lives paycheck to paycheck in a mobile home in Carver, works for a dermatology group practice that doesn't offer health insurance. She earns a bit too much to qualify for state-subsidized coverage, but said $352 a month -- 13.6 percent of her income -- is "way out of my ballpark."
The state estimated last year that there were 78,000 people age 50 to 64 who did not have insurance. About 42,000 of them have incomes low enough to qualify for free or subsidized insurance from the state -- and they are signing up in greater numbers than expected. The state-subsidized plans charge the same premiums for all age groups.
But the remaining 36,000 individuals face premiums that may be a financial struggle unless they have access to employer-subsidized coverage, according to advocates. (At age 65, most people are eligible for Medicare.)
State officials acknowledge that insurance is unaffordable for some, but have made no special accommodations for older people. The state intends to fine anyone who doesn't obtain insurance, but will waive the penalty if premiums are deemed unaffordable for an individual.
Hartrey's relatively low income and the high price of insurance should make her eligible for a waiver. But she's hoping the state will offer older people another alternative. "They should have a sliding scale" for premiums tied to income, she said.
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New ad campaign in iowa
Doctors, Nurses Challenge Edwards to Endorse Real Reform
Iowa Ads Call for Leadership on Guaranteed Health Care for All
WASHINGTON- AUGUST 16 - Physicians for a National Health Program and the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee today launched the first in a series of broadcast and internet ads in Iowa challenging the leading Democratic candidates to take a more meaningful stand on health care by endorsing a single-payer style, guaranteed healthcare for all, system.
In the first ad, which begins running this morning, a cardboard stand-in for former Sen. John Edwards is asked “Why are we wasting thirty-one cents out of every health care dollar on administrative expenses?” by a small businessman. “Eliminate the middleman, make our businesses more competitive globally, and this country could afford health care for everyone.”
“We need real reform that cuts out the profiteering insurance companies and drug companies and creates a single-payer program guaranteeing healthcare for ALL Americans. Where’s the leadership on this, Senator Edwards?” the businessman asks.
The ad calls on viewers to “let the Democratic candidates for president know that real leadership on healthcare doesn’t mean just being better than the Republicans.”
Created by Bill Hillsman and North Woods Advertising, the ad can be seen at www.pnhp.org or at www.guaranteedhealthcare.org.