The Commonwealth Division of Insurance rejecting the rates did not very little to lessen the increases that employers in the merged makets have received. In fact , in the case of Fallon it did absolutely nothing. There are many things, which I have mentioned here many times the Commonwealth of Massachusetts could do to provide real relief.
- Stop the never ending open enrollment. Currently people can sign up have coverage and drop the next day. Actually there is legislation pending to limit open enrollment to two months per year. It should be one month.
- Enable people to buy health insurance that does not require you to have prescription coverage to meet MCC (minimum credible coverage) to avoid the State Penalty. Walmart and Hannafords have a great list of prescriptions you can buy at unreal costs without needing any underlying prescriptoin coverage.
- This one would be tought but enable groups to opt out of all the state mandated benefits like larger companies that self-insure do.
- Need to increase the amount of the penalty not to have health insurance.
- Lastly--the state subsidized CommonwealthCare is a mess. We should audit that to make sure subscribers are not eligible for group health insurance with their employer and add an asset test like we do for Medicaid.
2 comments:
So anyway, off topic here, except for the word relief, IN MY OPINION my opinion, here's $156,000worth of relief that Clark University will soon experience under the their Pilot paymnet agreement with Worcester. "20 some properties" per the T&G to b be relieed of their tax burden.
As reported in the T&G part of this agreement for a 262,000 annual Pilot Payment, Clark University will be allowed to move "some 20 qualified properties to tax exempt status" I just did a quick little search and I came up with 21 ("some 20") properties that Clark owns that they currently pay taxes on. The list follows with the 2010 fiscal year (last year) taxes paid on each of these 21 properties:
501 Park 22,491
950 Main 4,313
455 Park 29,077
67 Illinois 642
945 Main 16,121
923 Main 3,326
5 Wyman 1,897
2 Hancock 2,330
70 Maywood 2,256
29 Maywood 4,810
192 May 81
31 Maywood 687
126 Woodland 689
122 Woodland 155
24 Loudon 7,548
1 Hawthorne 3,246
918 Main 12,587
930 Main 10,018
926 Main 13,984
934 Main 13,974
906 Main 5,948
Total 156,180
So ask yourself, how does the taxpayer of Worc spell R-E-L-I-E-F after being forced to pick the 156,000 add'l tax bill that Clark just dumped on them? Still not a peep out of anyone at City Hall on this point?
Sorry but I call this a Pi-Loot payment... I mean Clark has basically hi-jacked Downing St and also looted the city treasury in the process with the custodians of the citys assets standing by and nodding in agreemnt. Priceless. We got our own breed of high seas like pirates right here in Main South...no need to travel to the Suez Canal area for a glimpse of a hi-jacking
Signman, how about you ask the city to forego the RE taxes on your "Dewey" St buildings and then have Dewey St closed down in front of your property for a Pajama People Pedestrian Mall? And in return you'll make a pilot payment to the city in the amt of one airport sign at the junction of MIll and Airport Drive?
Jahn
at least I will give something back. WCG wanted to close down a street ( a private st as well ) off Piedmont..next to their new office and housing project.... a property they got for nothing and got back taxes waived (I was told) .. they would get and use this street for nothing and no PI-LOOT plan as well... I always felt that this was the old nut in shell game..hey what about Franco's thoughts on pledges on taxes for candidates....
I as a small businessman am for it... biggest wine I get when I sell a job is the sales tax I have to charge!!
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