Connecticut Local Politics

Gov. Rell’s Charter Oak Health Plan, meant to provide lower-cost insurance to those without, is now accepting applications.

Which is pretty remarkable, considering that the plan received (and is still receiving) criticism from activists and others over relatively high premiums and the plan’s bare-bones approach.

Is anyone going to bite? Apparently so:

Bryant, a waitress in Wethersfield, said two years ago after her husband died she was paying $700 a month for health insurance. �My pay didn�t cover it all,� Bryant said. She said she can�t wait to participate in the new Charter Oak Health Plan and hopes the affordable monthly premiums will help her get out of debt. Channels, a medical advocate for her 47-year-old brother, said she is helping him sign up for the plan because he needs major medical treatment in the near future and he doesn�t qualify for any other insurance plans.

The Charter Oak Health Plan does not exclude individuals because they have a pre-existing condition, however, under some circumstances individuals have to be uninsured for six-months before they qualify.

Individual premiums range between $75 to $259 per month depending on income and the annual deductible for individuals ranges from $150 to $900 and families from $300 to $1,750. (Stuart)

In fact, DSS commissioner Michael Starkowski suggests that up to 17,000 individuals may sign up for the plan this year. The criticisms of the plan remain, naturally, but the reality for state residents is that this plan, unlike anything the Democratic legislature has cooked up over the past few years, actually exists. It has been funded by the legislature and advanced by the governor (not to mention insurance carriers, who also seem to like the plan). Whatever its flaws, Charter Oak is real, and people are going to use it.

Think about this for a moment: Connecticut is now accepting applications for a state-run health care plan for uninsured adults. It doesn’t mandate coverage, but it’s there as a relatively low-cost option. Persons with pre-existing conditions aren’t barred. It’s open to all adults between the ages of 19 and 64.

No matter how you slice it, that’s a stunning achievement for Jodi Rell.

Source
Stuart, Christine. “Charter Oak: Now Accepting Uninsured Adults.” CT News Junkie 30 June, 2008.