May 1992 Edition - Access Press by Access Press

Access PrEss Volume 3. Number5

SOURCES

May10,1992

RESOURCES

HealthRight Passes - T:-.2 Sponsors Tell Us All About It The initial flurry of pub- not widely understood. Ogren,and both of theiropinion articles follow on pages 6 licity a b u t bdiawwta's rtebvm&icalpbbs& The real experts on & 7. n t . ..,

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sided and an amazing amounrof misinformation has surfaced in the form of rumors and speculation on timetables, costs and availability of the insurance. "The Gang of

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A lot of us watched the Minnesota legislature shut down

Repm@&xeF&Ogrenm

' ~ 3 '

I.,

Diagnostic, rehabilitation, out-patient lab and x-rayi home health and mental health services

How It Wonks Who's Eligible and When

-1,1992 &WtStwkd siblings with a child in the Children's Health Plan may

Immunizations Vision care Eyeglassesf~rkidsand~~;~

by William A. Smith, Jr.

January 1,1994: Shgkdml~ TtK hllowing co-payments ~ required: ~ ~ and while conducting a se- by the chairman (and the be changed to act as a safety and households w i l h 0 ~ tk ries of sham public hearings, board members) at the legis- net that supplements acces- I dren may enroll. Unless 10 &cent for inpatient

their own agenda called "VISION FOR TRANSIT" whichdoesnot includeMetro Mobility as a primary source of transportation. Instead, it is listedas aL'safetynet". The very term "safety net" has fallen into such disrepute after (RTB). administration'sabuseofthe term, I regard it asan insult to Wehdnorhing. the public. And, of course, people don't ride "safety aftter the fact,it wasapparent nets" to work each day or to that there was no discussion. amoviein the evening. They Our representatives in the need buses and taxis andvans. legislature and the senate accepted the governor's pro- Reading the latest publicaposal to add $1,500,000 to tions of the RTB, however, the Metro Mobility budget clarify thesituation. Theonly without a whimper. This unanswered question seems amount almostcoversa defi- to be the timing of thechange cit created in 1991 when the in plans. Whendid"V1SION program wasprovidingclose FORTRANSIT'becomethe to full service and optimisti- mission of the Board? Apcally predicting improve- parently,wellbeforethepublic hearings in late 1991. So ments. the die was cast, the hearings The support promised last were for show, and the i&tGovernorCarlson tention of the chairman and ever materialized leading board members at the heare agency into a deficit. ings makes more sense. The gparently by the end of the lack of support for future ear, the RTB had given up, funding of Metro Mobilit abandonment of Metro Mobility and were, frankly, shocked that there was no visible concern over the issue. We expected at least to hear some response to the pleas by those affected and the demands made by the Regional Transit Board

HealthRight are the original sponsors?and tireless advocam) who kept the process moving until it became law. So, ACCESS PRESS asked Senator Linda brglin and

Thejust published 1991An- lation -rather than serve as a nual Report of the RTB starts comprehensive public tranwith amessage from Michael sit service for those with Ehrlichmann, chairman, in mobility limitations. New which he notes that the main criteria willbe in placeby the missionof theRTB istomove summer of f 992. people where they want to -

a subsidy are eligible to buy into the Health Right plan. People over income guidelines should be able to buy affordable insurance in the private market.

and subject to $10,000 an- && nual benefit limit - July 1,1993 50 Percent for preventive dental; kids are fully covered $3.00 per prescription for

of the statement makes no mention of Metro Mobility cutbacks, but touts the new Vision for Transit, which he says benefits every resident in the region. Gregory Andrews, the Executive Director of the RTB, notesthattheboardincreased fares for Metro Mobility in 1991but says the changes in eligibility and certification will help bring the program within its available budget. There is a brief mention of the fare increase which was ruled discriminatory by the Minnesota ~i~h deparunentand thus lowered to the maximum permitted.

urna an

Finally, there is the state-

issue of the RTB MESSENGER, an official publication:

uninsured for at least 4 ered months to be eligible. The $25.00foradulteyegli~~ses; plan targets the uninsuredby kids are fully covered Here's what Val Higgins, a requiring employees to wait -m new board member has to say 18 months for eligibility. A on the subject: "Right now How is it Financed people with disabilities de- How Do You Enroll Cigarette tax is increased ] pend on Metro Mobility be- Health Right will be adminby 5 cents per pack for j I cause it's convenient and isteredprincipallythrough the start-up money quite often, is the only option Departments of Health and January 1,1993: 2percent ' they have available. Unfor- HumanServices. Enrollment tax on hospital gros? revtunately, some people think information will be widely enues wearegoing to changeMetro publicized. The telephone January 1,1994: 2 percent Mobility in a way that will numbersare 1-800-657-3672 grossrevenuetax expanded limit their travel patterns. and 612-287-3862. to includeother healthcare i Instead, we are working to providers and wholesale h make all transit more acces- What Benefits are Covered drug distributors -.X & ' sible so that people will have in the HealthRight Plan January 1,1996: 1percent many choices in addition to insurance premium tax on hF> t~s e &Mobility." o The plan builds on the non-profi~payerslike~lue Children's Health Plan which Cross, Michael Ehrlichmann's col- covers: Out-patient hospital, phyumn is headed "Momenulm for Transit Funding Growsician and clinic services NOTE: The 2 percent k'

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