As of this year, Nguyen pays $200 per month.Įven for people who are currently ensured, Lefferts says there are existing ways - and new opportunities - to reduce their monthly premiums. “Before this year, I paid $500, and they didn’t cover everything, when I went to clean my teeth, nothing,” she told GBH News. Mai Nguyen, who owns a nail salon in Dorchester, says those changes in subsidies had a massive impact on her financial situation - a reduction of $300 per month that she had been paying to secure health insurance for herself and her son. “But there are people who haven't done it, and you know, we want to chase every single one of them down.”Īs of this year, under the federal American Rescue Plan, people already enrolled in Marketplace insurance can qualify for more tax credits and lower health insurance premiums, and people who were previously ineligible are now able to apply for coverage. “The population in this state is growing, and there are immigrants and people coming into the state on a constant basis, and they're signing up for health insurance,” Lefferts said. Key groups include immigrants, non-English speakers and people below the poverty line. “We go about that through a number of different ways: we try to get signage up in the barbershop where they're going we've created messaging for moms and girlfriends, knowing that moms and girlfriends are a powerful voice to young men to try to get them to put pressure on to sign up.”ĭespite an abundance of healthcare resources, “vulnerable populations continue to experience persistent barriers to care,” according to the Boston Public Health Commission report. “We have known for a long time that the young ‘invincibles’ are the toughest to persuade,” Lefferts told GBH News. Young men, especially in Black and Latino communities, represent the largest group of uninsured people across the state, according to Jason Lefferts of the Mass. Racial disparities are striking among adult residents who can’t afford a doctor, according to a report from the Boston Public Health Commission: Latino residents make up 16% of that group, and Black residents represent 13%, as compared to 5% for white residents. “Most people don’t think about insurance until sickness comes,” Marshall continued, “and that’s when the problems start.” It’s like having windshield wipers on your car: as long as it’s not raining, you don’t think much about it.” “When healthy, you don’t think so much about insurance. “When you get older, those types of things become more important,” Marshall told GBH News. Spilka: Senate Mental Health Bill Lays Foundation For Parity In Care Jonathan Gruber On Choosing The Best Health Care Plan
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