Kudos to the Globe’s Alice Dembner for a first rate piece in today’s paper profiling four completely different individuals/families and the potential choices facing them under the new health reform law. Great job, Alice, thanks! Not to be missed. Osmani Rodriguez is reported to say: “And if I don’t buy insurance, we’re going to be penalized, considered criminals.” It’s not true, and it’s important recognize these concerns are out there. There’s a hugely important public information campaign to give folks the real facts about the law and their options.
And thanks to Alice for clarifying that while the requirement to purchase health insurance takes effect on July 1 2007, the penalties for non-purchase do not kick in until December 31 of this year, and perhaps later. And the penalties will not apply to everyone — only to those for whom the purchase of coverage (including deductibles) is deemed affordable. Too many folks are being led to believe penalties kick in on 7/1/07, and it’s not true.
One of the four is James Charles Roy, whose “family’s longstanding health plan is no longer good enough,” according to the Globe, because he has chosen to forgo Rx coverage. He asks, “What are they doing messing with me?”