Blue Mass Group Interviews John McDonough

This morning, Blue Mass. Group has posted an interview with John McDonough, the Executive Director of Health Care For All. In it, McDonough describes the problems with the Governor's proposed "RomneyCare" initiative:

1. Not one of the state’s private insurers has come forward with a detailed policy meeting the Governor’s target premium, and outlining benefits, costs, and other limitations. Without such details (we’ve been waiting since last November), we cannot support the assertion that these low-cost plans are viable;
2. We do not believe available funding from the existing health care safety net would be sufficient to finance adequate subsidies for lower income persons who cannot afford insurance purchase with their own income;
3. We believe depletion of the existing safety net to pay for the Governor’s plan would severely jeopardize hospitals and health centers that provide the bulk of care for the Commonwealth’s uninsured;
4. We believe the Governor’s “individual mandate” would create a series of trapdoors for vulnerable uninsured residents which would create long term financial hardship for low income folks whose only offense is getting sick.

If you're at all interested in the push for health care reform here in the Commonwealth, you should definitely check this interview out.

While you're at it, check out Adrian Walker's column in today's Globe where he profiles a case where MassHealth refused to pay for a young girl's surgery to remove a growth from her neck.