The Elections and Medicare

It’s election time.  You know what that means – it means that we will hear a variety of predictions as to what will be happening in the country regarding taxes, education and more.  And of course, Medicare is in the middle of the mix.

Candidates will say anything and everything from “everything is just fine” to “the sky is falling, but I can save the planet.”  It’s not easy to figure out what to believe or who to believe.

What we do know is that Medicare has some issues to deal with.  Enrollment is rising while funds are shrinking.  As a result, certain aspects of Medicare need to be restructured.  There are more out of pocket expenses for Medicare recipients and there are some things that used to be paid for by Medicare that are no longer paid for in the same way.

For all the plusses and minuses, Medicare is still a program that helps many people who need it.  Over 44 million people are enrolled in Medicare and are able to get healthcare, medical and other services that many of them would not be able to receive any other way.  Some of the most financially vulnerable and health challenged individuals are able to receive continuous care because Medicare is available.

Granted, there will be some changes in the coming years to keep Medicare a viable program.  Both candidates and the lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have ideas on what will need to happen to overhaul the Medicare system and the healthcare system to make them work for as many Americans as possible.

One candidate says that taxes won’t be affected, another says that taxes will go up, and then there are the pundits and news people.  You can watch news on quite a few 24 hour news channels and hear each person’s show come up with a different analysis about what is going to happen.

The one thing we can all say about the elections and Medicare is that at least the people who are making the decisions in Washington are paying attention to the issues and talking about making sure that everyone has health coverage.  That’s a start.  All that the rest of us can do is wait until after the elections are over and see what actually gets done.

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A Creative Way to Enroll Medicaid Beneficiaries

Many people throughout the country are eligible to receive Medicaid benefits.  Unfortunately, there are a large number of individuals who are eligible for Medicaid who either don’t realize they are eligible or are not taking advantage of benefits that could be helpful to them, or both.  How does a person find out whether or not they are eligible?  One county in Ohio has created a unique program to try to locate about 30,000 residents that it thinks are eligible for Medicaid. 

Hamilton County has joined forces with the FreestoreFoodbank to try to locate these individuals and enroll them in the program.  The Over-The-Rhine-based food pantry has received a $1 million contract to help locate and sign up at least part of the individuals that are eligible, as well.

Hamilton County Commissioner, Todd Portune issued a press release in which he stated, “These residents are eligible for assistance that can provide them the care and preventive treatment they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives; they just don’t know it.  It is long past time that we reached out to them.”

This unique move is one of the positive things that are happening regarding the Medicaid program and supporting individuals who qualify.  In addition, the pantry will be engaging local businesses with employees who are uninsured and either work part-time or have a low income.  The program will also reach out to schools, health centers that serve low-income residents and social service agencies working with the poor and the elderly.

The program is made possible through the county’s Department of Job and Family Services, who is providing funding.  Outreach will focus on children under the age of 19, pregnant women, adults age 65 and older, individuals with disabilities and homeless individuals.

This is a big step forward in one area of the country.  It will be wonderful if this type of program catches on in other counties and states, and spreads throughout the country.  With all the issues surrounding people who are uninsured, having programs such as this one could cut those numbers by a good amount and leave many thousands of people protected instead of vulnerable.

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