Required health insurance to get more expensive
By adamg - 3/20/08 - 3:42 pm
Premiums up 12%, co-pays up 45% for participants in the state's required health plan. Question: Are the people who have to pay this getting 12% pay increases this year? No, didn't think so. Well, at least it will give ChezNiki another chance to complain about Commonwealth Care Less.
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Yeah... No
Dear Anonymous (?!?!!)
The Commonwealth Care Program allows you to choose a plan. But your premiums and co-pays are determined by your income, which is monitored by the DOR and MassHealth/ Commonwealth Care. The guidelines that are used to determine how much a subscriber should pay are not based in reality. They are based strictly on income and family size and do not take into account Boston rent, Boston groceries, Boston transportation costs, etc...
But most importantly, they dont take into account your work status. If you are seasonal, temping, a day laborer, etc, and the DOR "catches" you "working," that temporary income can be used to push your premiums and co-pays up, or to cut your health coverage all together.
For example: I worked a one-day temp job last April and made $120 ($105 after taxes), and all my services were cut because I did not report my "income" to the State.
This is a mess and not a matter of bad insurance choices. It may, however, be a matter of bad career choices, i.e. trying to start my career in Boston.