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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, June 29, 2009 State Basic Health Plan fee hike due in fall By Jerry Cornfield Herald Writer OLYMPIA -- Enrollees in the state's Basic Health Plan should know by early September how much more they'll have to pay to continue receiving subsidized health insurance coverage. Cost of monthly premiums will rise next year to help the program serving low-income individuals and families offset a 43 percent cut in its budget. There were 97,204 people in the program at the start of the month of whom about 6,929 live in Snohomish County. The higher rates will generate some much-needed revenue. However, to balance the program's budget, state officials are working to shrink enrollment by about 40,000 people. They say no eligible person will be booted off the Basic Health Plan though they do expect the planned increase in premiums will be too costly for some and drive them from the program. Other recipients will be removed after they are shifted onto Medicaid, and others will be dropped because of ineligibility. How many will find themselves unable to pay the premium will become clearer once new rates are announced Sept. 4 by the Washington State Health Care Authority that runs the Basic Health Plan. That information will be mailed to those in the program, weeks before they must decide whether to sign up for 2010. The open enrollment period runs from Oct. 12 to Nov. 6. Soon after, the authority will have a better idea of the impact wrought by the price hike, said health care authority spokesman Dave Wasser. Basic Health Plan recipients can earn no more than twice the federal poverty level of $10,400 for an individual and $21,200 for a family of four, Wasser said. Enrollees pay a monthly premium based primarily on income, although age and residency are also factors. Today, the cost of monthly premiums paid by individuals range from $17 to $231. On Jan. 1, those with earnings at the poverty level will face a doubling in price to $34 a month. The highest premiums will likely exceed $300 a month. Overall, the average increase per person will be $25 a month. The planned boost is part of the sweeping overhaul of Basic Health Plan that began earlier this month when the state informed 5,341 people they will be dropped from the program as of Aug. 1. These members are being removed because they have federal Medicaid coverage in addition to the state offering. Now they will be solely on Medicaid which costs them nothing and provides similar coverage, Wasser said. Several thousand others are expected to leave the program in the next few months through voluntary attrition or because they are found to be ineligible because of their income. Even as officials work on ways to trim enrollment, they are adding about 200 people a month to the program. Most of these individuals are returning members who were dropped for one month when they missed a premium payment, Wasser said. State law mandates they be allowed to re-enroll if they get back on track, he said. Existing law also identifies specific classes of individuals who must be enrolled and not put on a waiting list if they are eligible, he said. These include personal care workers, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- a small number who somehow are not covered by federal plans -- and American Indians whose premium is covered through a tribal sponsorship programs. Each group represents a fraction of the statewide total, Wasser said. Health Care Authority Administrator Steve Hill said he thought the agency had "stopped enrolling -- period" only to learn recently there are new sign-ups each month. He said the extra 200 people a month are accounted for in all of the agency calculations "We can manage that number. When you have to take 40,000 people off, 200 a month is not a lot," he said. Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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