Category Archives: Healthcare

Healthcare, Newburyport, MA , the maintenance and improvement of physical and mental health through the provision of medical services.

Massachusetts Health Care Reform, NOT Helping the Middle Class

You didn’t really think I was going to stop blogging on this topic did you?

MA_health_care_reform.jpgAnd much to my surprise, my “scribbles” concerning my frustration with folks’ lack of involvement with things like local elections, democracy and poverty seemed to “confuse” a lot of people.

Stubborn and willful blogger that I am, I did another “scribble” on how the Massachusetts Health Care Reform is NOT exactly helping the Massachusetts “Middle Class” or small businesses.

I was talking to yet another small business last week. They felt it was necessary for their economic survival, for the business to go to a health insurance plan with a $2,000 deductible (that is probably a $4,000 deductible per family at least), hoping that none of their employees got too sick.

Yes, I’m getting the vapors all over again.

This is from an Opinion piece in the Boston Globe, September 17, 2007 “Health reform failure” by Steffie Woolhandler and David U. Himmelstein.

“…But this time, most of the uninsured are neither poor nor elderly…”

“The middle class is being priced out of healthcare. Virtually all of this year’s increase was among families with incomes above $50,000; in fact, two-thirds of the newly uncovered were in the above-$75,000 group. And full-time workers accounted for 56 percent of the increase, with their children making up much of the rest….”

“Why has progress been so meager? Because most of the promised new coverage is of the “buy it yourself” variety, with scant help offered to the struggling middle class.”

“And 244,000 of Massachusetts uninsured get zero assistance – just a stiff fine if they don’t buy coverage. A couple in their late 50s faces a minimum premium of $8,638 annually, for a policy with no drug coverage at all and a $2,000 deductible per person before insurance even kicks in. Such skimpy yet costly coverage is, in many cases, worse than no coverage at all. Illness will still bring crippling medical bills – but the $8,638 annual premium will empty their bank accounts even before the bills start arriving. Little wonder that barely 2 percent of those required to buy such coverage have thus far signed up…” (Boston Globe, September 17, 2007).

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Irony and Political Cartoons

I guess the fact that I said that I was “whining” in an earlier entry, resonated with at least some readers of the Newburyport Blog.

On one of my “walks” last week, someone asked me if I was “whining.”

Sigh.

One cannot “whine” about a 43.7% rate hike on one’s health insurance. One’s blood pressure can go through the roof (making one need health insurance more) and one can feel outraged, betrayed, terrified, etc., etc., etc., but “whining”–no.

This is called “irony.” Irony is “using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning.” (Thesaurus, Microsoft Word)

For the record, I’m one of the least “whiny” people I know.

Being from New York, I’ve always been very big on “irony.” “Irony” in the last 6 years or so, seems to have gone out of fashion.

Sigh.

I like “irony” a lot.

It was one of the reasons that after I Googled the political cartoonist I met (see previous post), and eventually stopped feeling like a “dope,” that I found myself just downright fascinated, because I like the “edgy” political cartoons that I have found so far.

I have a feeling that I (and the readers of the Newburyport Blog, who feel like it) might now learn a whole lot more about political cartoons. (Another major learning curve for moi.)

This is from “The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists” (AAEC) on the Herblock Prize (see previous post).

(Already I’m feeling “enlightened” throwing around stuff like “AAEC.”)

“The Herblock Prize was created by the Herb Block Foundation to encourage editorial cartooning as an essential journalistic tool in preserving the rights of the American people.

Or, as Herb Block himself once put it: ‘Cartooning is an irreverent form of expression, and one particularly suited to scoffing at the high and mighty. If the prime role of a free press is to serve as critic of government, cartooning is often the cutting edge of that criticism.’ ”

“…the judges selected Auth’s work because his cartoons ‘not only pointed out the flaws, ironies and injustices in the system and its leaders, but simultaneously offered a playful sense of hope. This was truly a ‘Herblokian’ collection of work.’ ” (The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, May 10, 2005)

See, there is that delightful word, “irony.”

In my complete brazen, chattering to Mr. Auth, I actually had the very true audacity to suggest that blogging has something in common with political cartoons. (I can hardly believe I said that. Geesh.)

Because, in part, gently, sometimes, the Newburyport Blog does try and point out the ironies and silliness and flaws of civics and government, and also (one tries) to suggest the possibility that there might be a slight chance that things could get better.

(And don’t forget, I have a political consultant called “George”. It’s just not the “other” George.)

I am really fascinated by Tony Auth’s political cartoons, the ones so far that I have discovered (although I realize that not all the readers of the Newburyport Blog might be as “fascinated” as I am… they might even be offended…). And this is a whole new medium that I know absolutely nothing about, and I’m looking forward to learning a whole lot more about it.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Futility of Writing to Politicians

Note to self:

Writing to politicians (with the exception of the “bald guy,” see earlier entry) about how the new Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act might have a few “flaws,” apparently is a giant waste of time.

Letter(s) back…

A) Obviously didn’t read my letter(s) because it/them never addressed the issue that I was talking about…. i.e. wild health care expense for self-employed and small businesses, nifty new health insurance act, NOT working.

B) Attitude… we worked on this thing like crazy and really don’t want to hear that anything is wrong with it. So would you please “shut up.” (Letter(s) actually much more subtle than that.)

C) Staff at politician’s place seem to have “stock” letter for each political issue. And who in the world would think of using turquoise colored ink for the automatic signature thing. Gesh.

D) Attitude by Democratic responder to moi, the respondee… a lot like Bush’s attitude towards the war in Iraq. In too deep to even question whether the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act is actually working or not. “Ouch.” Yes, hope that one hurt, it was meant to.

E) Obviously, responder(s) had not read Alice Dembner’s article in the Boston Globe, August 17, 2007 “Older residents feel insurance law pinch, Age-based prices too high for some.” (Please press here to read the article), or decided to ignore it.

F) Obviously responder(s) did not empathize with woman in the article who (in an obvious desperate attempt) to save money to pay for the “new” health care (which is “less comprehensive” than her old health insurance policy) eats popcorn some nights for dinner.

G) Responder(s) either seemed unaware, or chose to ignore the statement in the article by Alice Dembner, that actually health insurance under the new law is NOT “affordable” for all, but to the contrary, “insurance is unaffordable for some.”

Note to self:

Remember politician(s) who were “out to lunch” on my impassioned letters to them.

Remember politician(s) who appear to think the new Massachusetts Health Care Reform act is the “bees’ knees.” (The “bees’ knees” was an expression of my mother’s from either the 1930’s or 1940’s. This would have dated my mother big time, or made her really “cool,” take your pick.)

Just because politician(s) has/have a good head of hair (i.e. not bald–see earlier entry) and may be “easy on the eyes,” (see earlier entry) doesn’t necessarily mean they give a flying leap about moi (or you, the Newburyport Blog reader, either, for that matter).

And especially remember that a certain Republican politician who is running for president, used to be the Massachusetts governor, and is touting the Massachusetts Health Reform Act as the savior for American health insurance woes, really could care less if this particular blogger is trying to scream so loud that “god pees.” (Yes, see earlier entry again.)

That human being really does NOT want to know that the beloved “Act” could use a little “tweaking.”

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

An Unworkable and Unaffordable Health Care Reform Act in Massachusetts

Let me whine a little bit more about how this new Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act may not exactly be nifty.

If you are working hard and making a certain amount of money, but what you are making is not all not all that much–No help for you buddy.

And if you have a small business, and have contributed to the economy in Massachusetts all these years (like so many of the people I have talked to have), make an “Ok” living, but aren’t exactly getting rich, what you now get to shell out for health insurance for your small business seems to give every small business person that I talked to the “vapors.”

Even the response I got talking with small businesses that are doing pretty well, is that the monthly health insurance bill is the most dreaded bill of the month.

The rational behind the huge jumps that insurance takes for the self-employed and small businesses for folks at ages 50, 55 and 60, to reference the article in the Boston Globe article, August 17, 2007, by Alice Dembner, “Older residents feel insurance law pinch, Age-based prices too high for some,” (Please press here to read the article) is the assumption that as people get older, they are at the peak of their earning power and can afford huge premiums. But, as the article points out, that is not exactly always the case.

And obsessive researcher that I might be, I’ve been taking a look at some of the “new” plans that health insurance companies are offering in response to the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act.

This is an example of a PPO. There is a $3,000-$6,000 deductible “In Network,” “$6,000-$9,000” deductible “Out of Network,” and an annual out of pocket maximum per family, “Out of Network”– $18,000 (“In Network would only be $10,000). That does not include the monthly payment that whoever has this plan, pays on top of it.

It’s more complicated than that, but you get the idea, this is an astronomical amount of money for any individual or family to pay.

And this is going to go up every year.

Have the “vapors” yet?

The health insurance companies are responding to the new Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act. What they have been forced to do by this new act is push families to either come up with the money somehow if they are ill, or skip getting health care all together. (Sound familiar… only this time it’s the self-employed, small business Middle Class.)

Guess what families are going to do if they happen to have the plan above or one similar to it? They are NOT going to go to the doctor when they are afraid something is wrong. Because they get to pay 20%-40% of the doctor’s bill, lab bill, any thing that the health insurance company does NOT consider “Preventive Care,” i.e. any diagnosis or illness.

So it is my “scream” (see earlier entry), that the Massachusetts whatever (legislature, governor, state representatives) go way, way back to the drawing board, because on all kinds of levels, as far as I’m concerned, this new law is one sick joke. (And should never, ever be used in any way shape or form for a national model of what to do about the health insurance crisis in the United States of America.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Unaffordable Health Insurance in Massachusetts

“my mother releases a scream so loud
god pees…”

This is actually a quote from a (one person) play that my son has written. Parts of it have been performed (by him) in NYC. The whole production is about to get a “run through” in Providence R.I. (Should the whole thing get put on in NYC, you can be sure you all would know.)

Remember that 43.7% health insurance rate hike that I was whining about a while ago. Well my inclination is to “scream so loud god pees…” and it certainly gave me a real live case of the “vapors.”

There is an outstanding article in the Boston Globe, August 17, 2007, by Alice Dembner, “Older residents feel insurance law pinch, Age-based prices too high for some.” (Please press here to read the article.)

God bless Alice Dembner. I guess other folks are “screaming so loud that god pees” too.

I know, I know, it is my choice to be self-employed, to pay my own health insurance lo these many decades. But I don’t think any of the small businesses and self-employed people expected this kind of “hit.” And as the article points out:

“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.”

The article talks about one woman living paycheck to paycheck and that health insurance is 13.6% of her income (and for some, the percentage is a whole lot higher than that, promise).

I have been wandering around Newburyport, MA talking to small business folks and self-employed folks, and the story I keep hearing over and over again is that health insurance is their biggest expense, outweighing housing costs, and their biggest worry.

And to quote the Boston Globe article on one woman’s plight, ” ‘I haven’t been on a vacation for years. Plenty of nights I have popcorn for dinner.’ ”

I don’t think she is alone by any means.

We here in Newburyport, MA have been wringing out hands, quite rightly, about how much we as tax payers pay for municipal health insurance. But, there are a lot of folks who work for the city who don’t make big bucks.

Take the “young lady” who runs the Newburyport Council on Aging, and spends hours, with no overtime, helping folks in need. My recollection is that she doesn’t get paid a whole lot of dough.

And take your friendly average librarian, who works hard, is delightful and isn’t exactly raking it in.

I wouldn’t want any of these folks to have to suddenly absorb 1,000’s of extra dollars, that they could not possibly afford.

I do not have any idea what the answer is, on a municipal level or a small business level. But I think, by all means, I may do my darnedness to continue to “scream so loud” about all this craziness that “god pees…”

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

5 Bald Newburyport Guys and a Barber and An Outrageous Health Insurance Hike

Mike Costello, Ed Cameron and Tom Jones have my unwavering political support.

Why you should ask? “Five Bald Guys and a Barber,” that’s why.

5-Bald-Guys.jpg
“5 Bald Guys and a Barber”
For large photo please press here.
Courtesy of Susanne Cameron

Thursday, in my completely ditzy way, I forgot all about the Newburyport Bed Race (Yankee Homcoming).

After writing Mike Costello (no kidding, really) an email wailing about how the new state Health Reform Act could not possibly be working, because the new rate hike for my health insurance was a whopping 43.7%. (Now “low” double digit inflation is bad enough, but mid-range double digit inflation. Good grief. I figured maybe the health insurers were hoping for the self-employed and small business owners of a certain age, just to pass into the word-work from shock, when they found out what the plans for their new health insurance premiums were going to be.) Possibly more whining about the dubiousness of this new Health Insurance Act for all?? from moi, on the Newburyport Blog.

So here I am wandering the neighborhood, wondering where everyone is (it’s sweltering hot, I figure everyone’s getting cool in front of the AC or a fan), and low and behold, a whole lot of the neighborhood and a whole lot of people (Federal Street looked like a hopping block party, lots of fun) were watching the “Bed Race.”

And seeing Mike Costello, Ed Cameron and Tom Jones running and sweating down Federal Street as “5 Bald Guys and a Barber,” (I’m not sure what the male version of “ditzy” would be, maybe “wild and crazy guy?”) made me stop thinking about the 43.7% health insurance rate hike, and actually cheered me up and calmed me down a whole lot.

5-Bald-Guys-2.jpg
“5 Bald Guys and a Barber”
Left right—Ed Cameron, Peter Bart, Rich Herman, Mike Costello, Tom Jones, Foreground—Esther Sayer
Courtesy of Susanne Cameron

With that kind of sense of humor and, let’s face it, a certain amount of chutzpa, how could anyone not get all kinds of things done in the political arena. Right?

I even decided that I wanted Tom Jones to be the new Newburyport City Council president (I’m assuming he is going to win as one of the Newburyport City Councilors at Large) (Sorry Tom O’Brien, you didn’t run in the bed race, I don’t think), provided that he always wears a tee-shirt as Newburyport City Council president that says “5 Bald Guys and a Barber, and I’m proud.” (The design of course is up to him.)

Ed Cameron has got to beat Erford Fowler in a tight Ward 4 race and Federal Street is in the wrong ward (Ward 2). Oh well. But hey, this counts as major political points/stuff in my book. (And then he’s got to wear the same tee-shirt too.)

And Esther Sayer looked pretty cute pretending to be a bald person in the middle of the bed. I don’t know who cooked this one up, but I LOVED it.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport