Massachusetts Health Care Plan Gets High Marks: Poll

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A large majority of Massachusetts residents are satisfied with the commonwealth's subsidized health plan, which has components similar to the Obama administration's federal plan, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The poll by Market Decisions, a research and consulting group, found that 84 percent of residents are satisfied with the Massachusetts plan, which requires most adults to have health insurance. A similar requirement in President Barack Obama's health plan has been challenged by a group of states in the courts and the case is working its way through appeals.

The poll of 696 people found that 31 percent of individuals had had a healthcare provider reject their insurance plan and 23 percent were told a doctor was not taking any new patients.
The state health plan, launched under former Governor Mitt Romney, was given high marks for the range of services and the quality of care offered, according to the poll.

The program, Commonwealth Care, is targeted at low-income individuals earning up to $32,676 a year; families of four can qualify with earnings of up to $66,168 a year.
Premiums ranged from $10 to $151 a month, and only 17 percent of those surveyed said they had problems paying their medical bills.

The survey also found that individuals enrolled in Commonwealth Care used the emergency room at about the same rate as all other residents.

The survey was conducted from October 19 to November 30 and had a margin of error of 3.7 percent. It was released by the Massachusetts Health Connector, which helps individuals find insurance coverage.

(Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[DennisByron]

08:38 AM on 05/07/2011

This article by Reuters is so incredibly inaccurate that it is hard to believe that no one has noticed. I guess people just believe what they want to believe.

Here is the press release from the Massachusetts government organization that paid for the research by Market Decisions (https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/About%2520Us/News%2520and%2520Updates/2011/Week%20Beginning%20March%2006/CommCare_Survey_pr_3-10-11.pdf).

The poll Reuters is referring to was not conducted among all Massachusetts residents but only among the residents that receive free or mostly free health insurance. The only news in the referenced poll is that 16% of them don’t like their free insurance. Go figure!

The most recent relevant poll – but it has methodological problems – has been interpreted by the press to say that a plurality of Massachusetts residents are dissatisfied with Romneycare by a 5-4 margin. See http://www.suffolk.edu/46306.html

But hey that gets off the HuffPo message so why check the facts before you run a story.

[subinense]

07:48 AM on 04/06/2011

I insist, right wingers should reconsider stop calling health care reform ObamaCare, because in 10 years from now, ObamaCare is going to be freaking kick-ass popular amongst voters, and guess who will get ALL the credit for the bill ...

[Broderick Crawford]

03:50 PM on 03/23/2011

The fact remains that a program that was supposed to cost no more than $88 million per year has cost more than $4 billion since 2006. And if not for all of the infusions of federal tax dollars the state would be broke. Read what Cahill said about the plan.

The only reason MassCare has survived is that we have been repeatedly bailed out by the federal government.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704094104575144372942933394.html?KEYWORDS=cahill

[Impaler]

04:33 PM on 03/14/2011

Is this part of the plan to "embrace" Romney? This is great until you ask someone is there taxes, or the level of Government control is to high.

[jplanner]

10:19 AM on 03/17/2011

? you are only on Commonwealthcare by choice if you don't have or can't afford other insurance. Just like federal plan. I think Romney is trying to distance himself from Massachusetts...he's dispicable...trashed us in last election right after being our govenor. Ass.

[defortier]

11:26 AM on 03/12/2011

Timbo628 makes the most salient point here, the people of Massachussettes are satisfied with their plan. The market has spoken. For sure, it can get better, but we should already see that it is a step in the right direction.

[alma parker]

04:07 PM on 04/05/2011

If many people are receiving benefits and a few people are paying for same, would you not expect it to be 'popular'? This is sort of like asking how folks feel about Federal taxes, which almost half of us don't pay and which a tiny percentage of us pay most of it. Of course it is easy to rally a bunch of folks who want to keep it that way or, as one party actually promotes, try to get the small number of folks to pay even more of the share. This idea is also 'popular.'

[timbo628]

01:35 PM on 03/11/2011

What we do know:
The current health care system in the U.S. doesn't work. It costs too much and it excludes too many people who need health care. What's the point of a health care system that doesn't provide health care to those who need it most.

What we don't know:
Will Obamacare be better or worse.

That is why Massachusetts is so important. It can help give us answers to the ultimate potential of Obamacare. From the looks of the survey, the results seem promising. Furthermore, it is what you don't hear that may be even more telling. You don't hear people in Massachusetts calling for the repeal of their health care system. It appears to be working and from some comments it seems as if Massachusetts ranks #2 amongst all states in health.

Based on this, it seems as if we should give Obamacare a try because we already know that what we have been doing doesn't work.

[raker]

01:01 PM on 03/11/2011

The poll is meaningless. If you want to know something meaningful about satisfaction with RomneyCare, as the poor people who have to shell out money for it if they think they are getting their money's worth, if they approve of this health care scheme. I imagine that if there had been a similar poll taken in The Old South the results would have shown widespread satisfaction with slavery, obviously a distorted perspective.

[NickTAZ]

01:21 PM on 03/11/2011

Although your point is well taken, it could be used against any poll at any time. I hope you would ignore all polling with the same sentiment, due to their fallibility of manipulation.

[raker]

01:31 PM on 03/11/2011

Yes, which leads to the obvious conclusion: Polls are virtually useless. Polls are not news. Polls should not be participated in, and the results, when presented, should be ignored.

[jplanner]

10:24 AM on 03/17/2011

I know people who grumbled about having to buy insurance and not being able or not wanting to choose to afford it. Truth is that most middle class people and above hear seem to already have had insurance and the uninsured were people in their twenties, self employed, and the lower income people. Most people even the grumblers at least in my anecdotal expereince seemed to grasp that it was for the greater good even as they grumbled.. I also happen to know a young man who's testicular cancer was caught in time (we think) only becuase he was forced to get health insurance so he went to a doctor.

I wonder if the relief of the stress of not having health insurance for our citizens in MA would be something that is measurable or helps our overall health. It certainly helps mine.

[american-dolt]

09:44 AM on 03/11/2011

I'm from Mass, I have Ins. thru my Co. I fear the day I am laid off and have to pay for Insurance.

Insurance Companies are as bad as Bankers, possibly more ruthless.

America, home of the Sick Rich Slave Drivers.

[DoneDeal]

10:43 AM on 03/11/2011

Agreed, if the United States had a single-payer system, we would be free to leave our jobs, and work somewhere else or start our own business on the grounds that we wouldn't have to fear going without health insurance for ourselves and our families. This is one of the main reasons businesses do not want a universal healthcare system is because they would have to compete with other employers to keep you working with them.

[mrusteika]

11:34 AM on 03/11/2011

Buddy, if you're from MA, what are you worried about? I had Commonwealth Care for years; it was $35 a month and way better than the health insurance I have now. If you get laid off, you just get on that.

[american-dolt]

12:31 PM on 03/11/2011

Good to know, when I first looked at the options a few years back I saw $150-200. But I didn't need to sign up, so I didn't pursue further,

Thanks, f'd

[Peter Combs]

09:03 AM on 03/11/2011

well of course low income people like it...a regular plan without the state subsidizing it costs $14,000 to $23,000 a year....

Unsubsidized rates have risen 40% since it became law...so every year people just keep buying less coverage, higher deductables, higher co pays..

[DoneDeal]

10:46 AM on 03/11/2011

If the United States had a universal healthcare system in place, without having to pay the middlemen leaches (insurance companies), insurance would cost about $6000 per year, without co-pays, minimum payments for operations, and restrictions on certain benefits.

[bmike]

08:00 AM on 03/11/2011

Mitt. made Massachusetts the #2 healthiest state in America and Republican thought pattern says that is bad news.http://statehealthstats.americashealthrankings.org/ If Mitt can't run on that success he doesn't have a chance. When Mitt was doing it he was thinking the health is the most important thing a person have and they will love me for improving it. if you live in a red state and need improved health look north and ask for Mitt.

[anelder]

12:04 PM on 03/11/2011

My point of view is it's not a plus for Mitt as long as so many republicans are backing the elimination of Obama's bill.

[Jimmy B]

09:36 PM on 03/16/2011

Mutt did nothing to make this great state the best in healthcare, we already had the best hospitals, best med schools, best healthcare workers in the country. All Mutt did was what the bagger/pubs forced Obama to do, force the public to but overpriced insurance from for-profit corporations. Mutt changed our insurance industry, we already had the best healthcare in MA.

[4more]

12:53 AM on 03/11/2011

Hahaha.....Mitten can't even run on his one bit of goods news as governor....but Obama can for him :)

[Justjack1]

03:16 AM on 03/11/2011

Totally, the GOP uses that as a negative thing, ofcourse if they were smart, they would try the tactic of fooling the people by saying that they will do that with the rest of the country, only to not do that with the rest of the country, as they normally do.

[Talossa]

12:39 AM on 03/11/2011

I know this much: FOX and the Republicans will demonize and condemn "Romneycare" unless and until he becomes the GOP nominee. Then they will praise it to high heaven as a brilliant alternative to "Obamacare."

[Subvet]

12:23 AM on 03/11/2011

After AWOL-boy Bush and draft-dodger Cheney took away Veteran's Administration healthcare access in 2002, classifying us as Group 8 ineligible to help fund Operation Desert Screwup in Iraq, along comes Trust Fund Baby Mountain Meadows Mitt with his mandated RomneyCare to the tune of $492/month with a $4,000/year deductible for an individual. The $1012 annual fine is cheaper.

RomneyCare is unaffordable crap and a slap in he face of Vietnam/Cold War era veterans and was nothing more than an electioneering stunt by another draft-dodger.

Despicable acts by dishonorable men.

[Peter Combs]

09:04 AM on 03/11/2011

I live in Mass...if you're on welfare or earn minmum wage its a great deal...otherwise its the second most expensive health insurance in the country behind New York.

[sdesign]

11:30 AM on 03/11/2011

Do you send thank you cards to the insurance companies with your monthly payments? It's about time this country figure out how to get the insurance industry out of their pockets.

[anelder]

12:22 PM on 03/11/2011

But it ranks 2nd in the health of its citizens.

[Collective Numbness]

11:54 PM on 03/10/2011

Mitt Romney for president because Mitt Romney got it right.

[builderman55]

01:53 AM on 03/11/2011

Which Mitt are you supporting? I prefer syrup on my waffles...

[LBPrep]

06:28 PM on 04/05/2011

but continues to get it wrong politically... so close, yet so far.

[ProudMilVet]

11:29 PM on 03/10/2011

Oh, wait ! I'm against this now because i'm against Obamacare. No, wait a minute. My plan worked but Obama's doesn't, but it's the same thing. No, wait a minute, i didn't mean that ! Oh, i'm so confused !

[Collective Numbness]

11:57 PM on 03/10/2011

Please stop picking on ((( Obama the Flip Flopper ))).

[ProudMilVet]

02:49 AM on 03/11/2011

Collective Numbness : Uh, you do realize that i'm being sarcastic towards Romney ?