Medicaid applicants grow as recession widens

[inanna]

Source: AP via Yahoo

WASHINGTON – That day in July was one that Tammy Morse won't soon forget. Five months earlier, her husband lost his job as a recruiter for the financial services industry. Once the family savings were gone, the mother of two from Stratford, Conn., saw no way to get health insurance coverage for her family other than to apply for Medicaid.

"It was humbling," she said of her visit to the state's Department of Social Services office. "For lack of a better way to put it, that was for other people. It wasn't for me."

Around the country, similar stories are playing out for thousands of families.

<snip>

In Connecticut, a state faring better than many, enrollment in the Medicaid program has climbed from about 312,000 last December to about 329,500 in November — a 6 percent increase. Many who lost their jobs were eligible to continue group health insurance. But that is not an option in most cases because they no longer have an employer picking up a large share of their premiums.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081221/ap_on_re_us/states_medicaid_woes

[fasttense]

1. And the hits keep on coming.

So, I wonder when all this horror our "free" market economy is visiting on Americans will spark protests?

I think our government leaders believe it will never happen.

[newfie11]

2. Here in Nebraska

I thought I saw where the requirements were going to be made stricter as the funds were running low. I don't know what people that need it will do then.

[pipoman]

3. They will go to emergency rooms, then not pay their bill..n/t

[roseBudd]

6. Unless you are indigent hospitals do use collection agencies & will garnish

so may faced with a bill they can not pay will not seek treatment for things that are not unbearable.

[rainbow4321]

7. Who gets to define the word "indigent"?

Our repuke red TX county defines it as making less then $2,328 a YEAR.

The definition matters because when our county residents go the Parkland, the county hospital in Dallas (just to the south of our county), and Parkland turns to our county and says "pay up, we treated YOUR county resident, NOT a Dallas county resident", our county gets to say: Um, NO, we will only pay for residents who qualify for OUR "indigent program".
At one point, our county (Collin) got a $5.7 million bill from Parkland for indigent services in 2006, and paid only $71,001 of it.

So who gets the bill? The patient who doesn't "qualify" as being indigent or the Dallas County residents..or does the hospital write it off?

BTW, OTHER DFW counties define indigent differently, they go by a scale and depending where you fall on the scale (number of family members), the annual cutoff is 20 or 30,000/year. It's just Collin County commissioners that are assholes with the "definition" so our county don't have to pay up.


http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/004892.html

[liberalhistorian]

9. Hospitals will go after every last cent

you have, no matter how little you have and no matter if it's your only assets. They will think nothing of doing this. Their financial consultants consider the uninsured to be a "cash cow", as several put it in their reports to a hospital group, because they can charge them far more than insured patients (they have group discount agreements with insurance companies) and they can then go after everything they own to get it.

I'd say the same for doctors who will turn you over to collectrolls in the blink of an eye, and no matter how small the bill is or how little you may have, except for good luck even finding one who'll accept uninsured patients or those who don't have the money upfront if uninsured. I've been a debtor's paralegal and been unfortunate enough to be uninsured many times, been there, done that.

[newfie11]

22. You got that right.

I worked for a hospital in the upper part of Michigan's lower peninsula. If patients could not pay they would threaten them with taking their homes. This hospital also did not accept assignment on medicare so for many elderly the bills were an even bigger shock.

[silverojo]

20. I'm in Nebraska

There's no Medicaid for you unless 1) you have dependent children, or 2) you're on disability.

If you're like me, on the waiting list for disability, you're pretty much screwn.

[newfie11]

21. Go figure!

With the amount of taxes we pay you wonder where that money goes or who's pocket it is in.

[SpiralHawk]

4. "Pull yourselves up by your own Swiss bank accounts." - Republicons

...I suspect quite a few republicons will be changing their tune as they join the growing lines for medical aid, food, and shelter...thanks to the UTTER BRILLIANCE of Republiconomics.

[Vinca]

5. Medicaid should be open to everyone immediately. nt

[Kweli4Real]

8. I have a completely off topic question ...

that I'd like you to think about ... What is Tammy Morse's race? Why is that an important question?

This article leads with a story about Tammy Morse, who because of the economy is forced to apply for public assistance. But the picture immediate to the article was that of Cassandra Edmonds-a Black woman. Is this another example of the media putting a Black face on poverty?

[roseBudd]

12. very good observation, I would encourage you to pursue an answer as those things...

are taken seriously, as they should by newspapers and that includes the AP.

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer

We saw this type of bias during Katrina in news photo captioning.

[roseBudd]

15. a longer version of thias AP article contains the following....

Cassandra Edmonds, a single parent who joined HUSKY in October, is a newcomer to the program like Morse. Her job as a parent-activities coordinator with the Bridgeport school district was eliminated to save money. She has found a job selling life insurance, but her earnings are low enough that she is eligible for HUSKY coverage.

The insurance is particularly important for her 4-year-old son, who has glaucoma and tubes in his ears to prevent repeated infections. He has to check in with a specialist about every three months for each condition. Edmonds said she never imagined she would be relying on government safety nets to make that happen.

"I never really thought I would be without a job," Edmonds said. "I have an MBA. I'm not trying to sound cocky or anything."

[liberalhistorian]

10. They'd better get used to being treated

as fifth-class citizens, no better than dirt, when they go for treatment, especially at clinics and hospitals. I'll never, ever forget how humiliating it was for my son and I to be on Medicaid when he was younger. I was certainly more than grateful to have it, but I sure as hell did not appreciate how we were treated by the vast majority of medical personnel, right down to the admission clerks and doctor's staff.

Oh, and COBRA is a fucking joke. Conservatives love to point to it and say "see, there IS an option for people who lose their jobs, they're just too lazy to take it or don't want to prioritize." Yet who the hell can afford hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a month in premiums if they don't have a fucking job? HELLLOOOOO. Hubby just lost his job a few weeks ago and insurance ended last week, but just for the two of us COBRA would be nearly a thousand dollars a month. What a fucking joke. I sure as hell hope nothing major happens to us in terms of accidents or illness before we're insured again, whenever that will be, who knows.

[acmavm]

11. Yep, you got it. For me and my son I pay $300/month. It's killing me. But

I gotta have it.

[liberalhistorian]

13. What you pay is pretty cheap.

For hubby and I it would have been a lot more, and during my unemployment periods when I was a single parent it would have been much, much more than that.

[acmavm]

14. On what planet is that cheap? Considering wages, especially single

parent family wages, how is that cheap??? And what happens when I lose my job and I have to pay the entire premium?

Sheesh!

[liberalhistorian]

16. Oh, no, I didn't mean it was trivial

and not a lot of money, sorry about that! It certainly IS a lot of money. I just meant that it was cheaper than most COBRA premiums, which are usually a lot more and COBRA's basically a joke 'cause most people can't afford that kind of premium even with a job, let alone without.

[Donnachaidh]

17. we got hit with a $1,100 per month cobra payment

The local charity that helps with my son's blood disorder could only cover it for 3 months for us. We could NOT cover it by ourselves.

COBRA is a joke. And I'm not real thrilled with medicare supplemental insurance, because of that accursed donut hole! I don't see how anyone on a limited income can get a break with all these *programs* written to benefit ONLY the insurance, or the doctors, or the pharmacy companies.

I don't hold much hope for Obama doing anything to cut these vultures out of the loop, either.

[acmavm]

18. Holy smokes, how are you making it? Have you got any help? Is your son

getting medical care?

Good grief, the revolution is long overdue.

[KakistocracyHater]

19. they better undo the Medicaid disaster law that Bush did

wholesale the meds, also bring down the prices on wheelchairs: why do dirt bikes cost less than a wheelchair with a motor? http://www.improvelife.com/Sale/Travel-Power-Chairs