So last Saturday’s post included voices of real enrollees in Commonwealth Care who signed up through HCFA’s Helpline. Some suggested we were illustrating adverse selection because all the voices were folks with significant health needs. Fair point. I asked my intrepid Helpline Manager Kate Bicego: “So, Kate, are we only signing up sick people?”
“No way,” she says. “I thought you just wanted the tear jerker stories.”
So I said, “You got any non tear jerker stories?”
She says: “That’s MOST of what we’ve got.”
“Can you give me any?”
“Absolutely.”
And here they are:
New Commonwealth Care Enrollees respond to the questions: “How will this health insurance help you? Do you have any medical conditions that have gone without being treated while you were uninsured?”
“I just have high cholesterol and my prescription is getting down pretty low so that will help. Now I will be able to get my yearly physicals and it’s a peace of mind.”
- Kathy in Wilmington
“I actually have been paying out-of-pocket for my health insurance until now, but it was getting to the point where I would be unable to pay for it. I just graduated college, and I’m slowly going up the ranks. If I had to cancel my plan and didn’t have Commonwealth Care, I was going to have to just hope that I didn’t get sick.”
- Matthew in Marshfield
“You never know when an emergency will come up or anything. I won’t have to worry about costs incurred and stuff if something does happen, and that’s HUGE.”
- Danielle in Bridgewater
“Nope, I don’t have any real big medical issues. It’s going to get me regular health care that I can afford.” – Steve in Braintree
“It’s just about having coverage. I don’t have any health issues.”
– Erick in Tingsborough
“I have no illnesses right now and don’t expect to have any, but this helps to get checked out. You never know” – Michael in Scituate
“Well, I don’t know if you consider the fact that I’m at the point where I have to have mammograms done. Now medical conditions won’t go untreated. That’s huge.” – Susan in Rowley
“No, we just wanted to make sure that we had continuing health insurance while we are between jobs.” – Rima in Cambridge
“Nope, it just relieves me. I won’t need to pay the high premiums any longer.” – Susan in Otis
“It’s just having insurance.” – Lynn in Manchester
“Number one, it’s just having the insurance. I’m relatively young and relatively healthy, but I have prescriptions. I need those filled. It’s hard to answer this too though because living in MA< the Free Care program even helped me though it wasn’t health insurance. It will feel great to actually have this network behind me.” – Russell in Somerville
“Well, I have been going once a year; but if I got sick I wouldn’t bother going and getting checked up. It’s not good to do things that way because then it gets worse.” – Robert in Marblehead
“Well, I was supposed to have a mammogram and it’s been a year since I’ve had a physical. Nothing major, no.” – Harriet in Tewksbury
“Not lately, but I am getting older. A physical wouldn’t hurt.” – Steven in Townsend
“For my purposes, I don’t use the insurance much, but when I do need it, for instance if I have to have my appendix out or something, I feel more comfortable knowing that in the even of a disaster, I will be taken care of.” – Joseph in Cambridge
“No, not really. We’re not going to the doctors often, but my wife has had a nagging cough. It’s for small things, but you never know what is going to happen.” – Frederick in Springfield
“It’s just having the insurance. It’s preventative. Now I can go to the doctor’s for an annual check-up. That’s preventative, and I think that’s needed, don’t you think? And if there is a small problem, you’ll be able to catch it before getting into more complicated matters.” – Karen in Dedham
“Right now it’s just the security of knowing I have health insurance in case anything happens. I won’t delay calling my doctor.” – Joan in Easthampton
Good luck to you, Tom, and thanks for posting your comment.
I live in a state which fortunately does NOT mandate health insurance. I am one of the “very healthy” ones, who feels that my $3000/yr would be better spent on my retirement, and put away should I need it for health care (I’ve spent less than $800 for unscheduled health care over the past thirty five (35) years). I pay for my own exams, and haven’t had so much as a head cold in 11 years. The closest I’ve come to breaking a bone is chipping a second molar. My last script was for pain killers in 1979, for a 3rd molar extraction.
Within the next two months, I will be going to Princeton N.J., for a full body scan, including 64 slice MRI. This will cost me a lot of money.
However, I consider this to be better than paying into a mandated insurance plan, and getting nothing in return (my health track record speaks for itself, thank you).
Yes,I’m paying for this out-of-pocket. However, your beloved “Connector” wouldn’t have paid for a body scan, I am sure.
So, McDonough, you’ve heard from a healthy one.