health

Read your mail people! It's your own fault if your health cov is cancelled because you failed to submit the required ppwk. People need to pay closer attention to something as important as your families health insurance!

It sounds like it's too much work and responsibility to expect people to do paperwork to prove they are eligible for benefits. The rest of the world has to do it too, what makes these people special? Lesson learned, pay attention, follow the instructions, and use a number 2 pencil.

We need health insurance for everyone. Why is this country so far behind the rest of the industrialized world?

"The long-term savings would also be smaller, though the state would still get a "huge rate of return," said Sen. Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville, who supported the original provision." --- So 3100 were dropped, and 1600 were dropped because they didn't submit any paperwork. That targets around 1500 out of 75000 which is a measly 2%. Not to mention that give it another year or two and there will be another 2% of ineligible dependants back on the system. This sounds more like a boondoggle for conservative legislator to pass money to his private industry friends to solve such a minor rounding error that it shouldn't occupy his efforts. Not to mention that it sounds like it was a poorly executed audit resulting in lawsuits and harassment towards state workers. Just another showing of conservatives coming to office expecting to find huge waste, wasting valuable time in their witchhunt instead of working on valuable reforms, and then struggling to walk away with 2% savings. Let's get some people back in there to focus on the big picture and big reforms to make Minnesota a better state.

I wonder what these same state employees would say/do if one of us was sent a letter and we said we never received it? From personal experience, I know they would say that is no excuse and put the blame on us.

In a COBRA General notice it advises people that they will lose their rights to COBRA if they do not adise the employer of their change in status. Those people are not eligible for COBRA. If you fail to submit the required information it does not trigger a COBRA event either. It looks like they will have to seek coverage elsewhere. Read COBRA Laws.

We applaud when government audits find someone got charged for an aspirin they didn't receive in the hospital, but when the same cost saving attempts are made, and people throw away first class mail, fill out forms improperly without asking for assistance or just plain ignore the letters, we complain? We get unions filing class action suits? Come on people. It sounds as if most of these situations involve competent adults, not those in guardianship because of limited intellectual capabilities. I agree wholeheartedly with the state on this one.

Ineligible is ineligible, and there's really no excuse for not opening your mail. My wife works for the Minneapolis schools, and we were audited under this. However, the dependent coverage offered is so bad and so expensive we don't take the dependent medical coverage; we're better off buying individual coverage directly from HealthPartners. That's only true because 1) we're healthy and don't use medical insurance, and 2) I make a lot of money through self-employment; 5 times more than my wife does through full-time employment by the Minneapolis School District.

We do buy the dependent Dental Insurance, which is about a wash compared to just paying your bill in cash. So we did respond to this audit. It was no burden to us.

The real issue here is the same as the real issue in Medicare costs, employment costs in both private and public sector, and a large chunk of the rise in the Federal debt and budget deficit: The out-of-control explosion in medical costs and medical insurance costs. I saw a graph yesterday via Mike Whitney's website that showed that 50% of Americans use about 5% of medical costs. 5% of Americans use about 80% of medical costs. The costs themselves are out of control and destroying our economy, and we need to have a national conversation about how we're spending our money.

Unfortunately, too many politicians are more interesting in wringing cheap partisan electoral advantage by exploiting jealousies and pitting people whose coverage is inadequate because they or their employers can't afford the outrageous costs, against people who do have adequate coverage because they and their employers are paying the outrageous costs.

Meanwhile the small number of specialist doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and management companies who profit from all of this laugh and laugh, and send another check to their lobbyists who work overtime to make sure we never change our system, until it bankrupts the country. Which will happen soon, as the Baby Boomers get older and require more of the expensive care which is how we spend 80% of our dollars on 5% of the population; 50% on 1%.

So a private "for profit" company gets $400k to send out confusing letters that causes many eligible people to lose coverage. When the smoke settles, most will be back on state coverage. Sounds like the promised 4 to 8 percent is really like 2-3 percent. More flim-flam from "health care experts". But the repubs are happy!

So how exactly is it better if 3100, or maybe 1600, Minnesotans don't have health insurance because they can't afford to pay for it? Shouldn't we do something about the costs? That's the real problem, not bureaucratic rules about eligibility. Health care costs, and health insurance costs, are bankrupting American families, businesses, and units of government. 50% of Americans use about 5% of the cost. 5% of Americans use about 80% of the cost. 1% of Americans use about 50% of the costs. Maybe it would be a good idea to discuss the costs? Hmm?