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• What the Law Says - The Connector Authority The law established the creation of many new governing authorities, boards and commissions to make new laws, rules and policies. The most important of these is the powerful, unelected Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority. The mission statement of the Connector is "Promoting health care coverage across the Commonwealth." Please keep in mind that this says "health care coverage," meaning commercial INSURANCE - not HEALTH CARE, meaning the provision of medical attention. There is a difference. Connector Board job description: That's it, and everyone in this country should be DARN ANGRY because the Kennedy-Dodd, Baucus-Grassley and the House Tri-Committee Health Reform draft bills for National Health Care Reform contain either a state-based insurance exchange such as the Connector, a National Health Insurance Exchange or a Gateway - one-stop shopping so you can figure out what policy works for you! You will be mandated to purchase health insurance through a commercial company beholden to its stockholders - profit is the name of the game! Ultimately, this will be President Obama’s plan because the buck stops with him. We had to point this out for those who aren’t tuned in to what is going on nationally. Now, back to Massachusetts. What this means |
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Massachusetts-style health insurance |
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The law says that working people who are eligible for employer-sponsored insurance are not allowed to have either the state subsided or state sponsored plans, even if the State plan is better or less expensive than the workplace plan. See CROWD OUT for details. |
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This does not even take into account the commissions paid to insurance brokers who will sell many of these plans and the advertising and direct mail costs of each of the insurance companies. In late winter 2008, the Connector approved a 10% premium hike for all premium-bearing subsidized Commonwealth Care plans and a 5% increase for Commonwealth Choice plans. These increases took effect July 1, 2008 despite a statewide survey that showed many residents could not afford the partially-subsidized plans and/or the co-pays. As we know all too well, the cost of living has been rising for the past several years on a near-weekly basis while incomes remain stagnant or decrease. Regardless of an individual's income level, the MA health insurance law requires that a large percentage be spent on this commercial insurance. There is no regulation that addresses cost-containment, thus, there is no way to hold down yearly double-digit premium and co-pay increases. Individuals are mandated to keep paying for their insurance no matter how much the cost increases or how useless it is for them. See PLAN LOCK-IN rules. There is a once-a-year chance to switch plans, but it is unlikely that this will improve cost and available coverage. Residents must re-enroll once a year at which time they must re-submit all of their financial information. If the new information does not match up with the figures the state has from the previous year, residents will be kicked off their plan and perhaps fined or forced to buy a more expensive plan. See DATA GATHERING. |
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Read the next "What the Law Says"
topic |
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The Individual Mandate explained / The Connector Authority / Affordability / The Appeals Process |
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Religious Exemption / Income estimation / Tax enforcement and Criminal penalties / Data Gathering |
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Estate Recovery / Insurance plan "lock-in" / State as health insurance / Primary Care Shortage |
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