Health Care Reform

The pending health reform legislation will help keep insurance premiums affordable for America’s families.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, under the Senate bill, premiums will fall by as much as 3 percent in the large group market and 2 percent in the small group market.5 Most significantly, premium costs will be subsidized on a sliding-scale basis for middle-class families if their incomes are below 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($88,200 in annual income for a family of four in 2010). The legislation also requires insurers to spend a reasonable share of premiums on actually delivering care (instead of on administration and profits), and it enables the Secretary of Health and Human Services to intervene to prevent unreasonable premium hikes.
Failure to act on meaningful reform means out-of-pocket health care costs will keep rising, and medical costs will continue to be a major cause of debt and bankruptcies, even for those with health insurance.
While premiums are rising, families are receiving less coverage for their premium dollars. Policies have higher deductibles and copayments, and they cover fewer services.6 If health reform is not adopted, this trend will continue. Medical costs will be an increasing burden for the insured and uninsured alike.

Shine Representative at the Senior Center

MASS SENIOR ACTION METRO NORTH WELCOMES NEW SHINE REPRESENTIVE AT MALDEN SENIOR CENTER
When many Seniors in the Malden Area and our Senior Group had trouble getting a Shine representative to furnish needed information on the confusing Medicare D plan and the Commonwealth secondary insurance PRESCRIPTION ADVANTAGE our board contacted the Mystic Valley Elder Services Executive Director Dan O’Leary (a MSAC member) to address the Problem and agreed to make an effort to improve the situation. We also made a visit to the Director of Elder Service Christine DePietro and on finding out that the problem was an issue
affecting Seniors at the Center we sought a solution.
We thank Christine DePietro for taking action and getting one of her staff (Kelly Chancy) to become a Shine representative.
“She will be participating in 50 hours of training to council elders, providing them with unbiased health information” according to the director of Senior Center.. “in to-days confusing HEALTH CARE options world, a confidential one and one meeting is necessary to make the best choice for you and your income”. Kelly will be taking appointments here in the Senior Center.
Mystic Valley Elder Services are looking for additional Volunteers