HIP was designed to cover lower income people aged 19 to 64 who are ineligible for Hoosier Healthwise. This sounds great on the surface but there are restrictions. If an employer offers insurance coverage at any price the individual does not qualify. Additionally the cost is $80.00 per month per person. To me this seems a little steep for someone making less than $20,000 per year, but I'm sure it is less than what many insurance companies charge.
As I said earlier, there are restrictions, they are listed below:
- You have not had health insurance in more than six months.
- You do not have access to health insurance through your employer.
- You are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.
- You are between the ages of 19 and 64.
- You are a legal resident of Indiana.
- MAXIMUM annual household income is equal to or less than:
1 person in household; $20,400
2 people in household; $27,360
3 people in household; $34,320
4 people in household; $41,280
5 people in household; $48,240
To learn more about the Health Indiana Plan, and for more information on whether or not you may qualify, you can visit the Web site at http://www.in.gov/ or call 1-877-GET-HIP-9
SOURCE: New Albany Tribune
This is a start but I believe the Federal Government needs to provide healthcare for all US citzens without these restrictions
4 comments:
Being in the business of "indigent health care" we have heard many promises of the fruits that come with increased tobacco taxes, etc... All of the plans to get care to the impoverished and uninsured.
I feel these are just more fairy tales to add a little warm feeling to hearts of our elected representatives, when the end result will be so many rescrictions on who is qualified for the program, that few actually get the coverage, and even less keep it.
Instead of the millions and million and millions of dollars invested in fluff projects like this, urge the state to provide more funding for community health centers and help them grow to serve the medically indigent, and way of offerring a hand up, not another hand out!
Thank you for posting Chris, but I don't think healthcare is a "handout". Additionally healthcare for everyone is hardly a "fluff" project. Real people are ill and dying because they cannot afford to be treated and this is a crime. I am in favor of removing restrictions on who gets treated, we certainly don't need another HMO.
Yes, we need more community health centers but how do we know they will be strictly non profit? These physicians and healthcare workers need to earn a living too.
As far as insurance companies, they too are a business and a very profitable one too. I believe Humana just posted record profits. They did this by collecting insurance premiums and denying claims. And they are just one example.
There is a growing movement in this country of people who believe that healthcare is an entitlement, these people include doctors, nurses, and others in he healthcare community.
Please understand, I am not stating that providing healthcare for the medically indigent is fluff, the overly touted programs announced to "increase" coverage, while alienating the most affected populations, is the fluff.
Non-profits equally Doctors and NP, and medical support staff equals not earning a living. I would venture to say our staff physician, nurse practitioners and support staff are doing rather well. We have an extremely LOW turnover in employees.
I just want the state to step up to the plate and expand support for members of the IPHCA, the small clinics like the Family Health Center of Floyd County, Harrison County, and to help get them started in Scott, Orange, Crawford, etc.
It has taken 15 year for the Family Health Center of Clark County to get to the point that we could received federally qualified status, to REALLY go places. We are packed everyday, and booked up for at least a month out (with the exception of acute appointments) this is with three practitioners, a slew of volunteer specialists, a dentist, optometry, and case management, basically only serving Clark County residents how are under 250% of federal poverty guidelines, no insurance, or are massively underinsured.
We are on the same page, but I am also on a page where Ihave heard a lot of promises of things to come, only to never see them happen. But the increased taxes sure were levied.
Sorry I misunderstood. We are indeed on the same page.
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