Dr. Michael Belzer on MinnPost discusses the fallout from when General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) ends in July of 2010 and approximately 36,000 Minnesotans will join the ranks of the uninsured, and it’s depressing: The prestigious Institute of Medicine, in its landmark 2002 report, estimated that 18,000 United States residents die each year because they lack insurance. Two longitudinal studies cited in the report estimate the uninsured have a 25 percent higher risk of death and are 3.2 times more likely to die in the hospital than the insured. This excess death rate does not respect gender, age or disease state.
Uninsurance in Minnesota
Jun 12 2009 — 8:19am
8 Reader Comments
9:27 am
I’m already having panic attacks about not having a full-time job by December and not being able to get individual insurance after my COBRA is done.
9:40 am
I think everyone knows I’m appalled at the cut to GAMC. But, the good news is that my department is already working on plans to get this group of people on other health insurance and keep them there. While some will fall through the cracks, we are going to do our best to get those who qualify on to MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance.
10:04 am
Aren’t you undermining the King’s unallottment KC? Where’s the state budget savings going to come form if people are just shifted to another state program?
10:18 am
Well, isn’t that a good question, mnblrmkr.
MinnesotaCare is a quarter of the program GAMC is. It has a $10,000 in patient hospital limit for adult as well as a $10,000 chemical dependency limit. In patient care also has a $1000 deductable, to be paid by persons making less than that amount in a year. It doesn’t cover the same services as GAMC, it has a monthly premium of $3 minimum and it generally takes 4 months to be acutally enrolled into the program.
GAMC also has a hospitalization program that will be go away for people over the GAMC limit, but under the MinnesotaCare limit.
So no, most of what the hospitals are saying is true. Even if all the patients who are on or normally would be on GAMC are converted to MinnesotaCare, they will still lose money. I cannot begin to figure out the actual dollar amounts, but I doubt they are considering the money they will get when they are converted to MinnesotaCare. So, the loss of funding won’t be as dramatic as they state, but it will be bad.
Plus, last I heard you cannot be homeless and on MinnesotaCare. I don’t know what is happening with that rule, but I’ll check into it.
10:37 am
I used to work at Regions Hospital, which treats a lot of people covered by GAMC. Only HCMC sees more GAMC patients.
They are speaking out, and “putting a face” on this issue.
12:11 pm
Homeless people can be on MinnesotaCare. To receive it, you must be a resident for 180 days, pay your premium, and meet all the other income, asset, and citizenship requirements.
1:22 pm
Those criteria sure are going to be easy for homeless people to meet and prove.
2:17 pm
Wait, so how can I get insurance?