The hearing on the eligibility, cost sharing and services under the Health Safety Net Trust Fund is tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 9:30 am at 1 Ashburton, 21st floor. Please attend to show your support for a safety net that protects low income residents.
The ACT!! coalition will be testifying, including religious leaders, policy experts, and those with first-hand experience. There will also be testimony from providers, legal groups (including Health Law Advocates) and concerned citizens.
Later in the afternoon, at 1:00, will be the hearing on payments and funding.
We’re pleased that the legislature changed the name from the “Uncompensated Care Pool” to “Health Safety Net.” The new name expresses the goal of the program: providing a safety net of basic hospital and community health center care for poor uninsured and underinsured residents.
But we’re concerned that the regulations don’t fully live up to the program’s name. While the details can be dense, the basic points are fairly simple:
- Under the proposed regulations, some low-income residents would be without any medical safety net.
- The new costs, particularly the $420 annual deductible, would be an inequitable burden on low-income uninsured people, leading to delayed enrollment and delayed care, harming patients.
- Our already overloaded systems are not equipped to handle the complex new eligibility and cost sharing rules. Changes should not be made until systems are in place to implement the process.
We will be calling for the DHCFP to reexamine the proposals. Please come and support our efforts.
