| Article |
From the March 25, 2004 print edition
Daily Review
County health care dropping 4,000 people
Budget woes, loss of private funding force cuts, Alameda Alliance for Health says
Rebecca Vesely
About 4,000 children and their parents in Alameda County will soon lose their health coverage due to cuts to a popular insurance plan for the poor, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The health plan, Alliance Family Care, insures families up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Out of the 6,000-plus people enrolled, only 2,000 will remain in the program, according to seniority.
Typical members are working parents who can’t afford private insurance but make too much money to qualify for Medi-Cal and Healthy families - state-run programs that cover more than 7 million people combined.
The nonprofit Alameda Alliance for Health, which runs Alliance Family Care, said county budget woes and loss of private funding are forcing the cuts.
"Membership has clearly outgrown what we can afford," said Alameda Alliance for Health CEO Ingrid Lamirault. "It’s really been a tough decision."
On April 1, letters will go out to some 4,000 members notifying them that their coverage will end in 90 days, on July 1.
Alameda Alliance for Health will allow current members to fill 100-day supplies of prescriptions, instead of the usual 30-day supply so those losing coverage won’t immediately have to pay full drug costs uot-of-pocket.
"We’ve tried to think of things that will that will ease the transition," Lamirault said.
Already 3,000 people on a waiting list have been notified they won’t get into the program.
Alliance Family Care is one of the few subsidized health plans in the state that cover entire families living on that edge between 250 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The cutoff for eligibility into Healthy Families is 250 percent of the federal poverty level, while most Medi-Cal enrollees are below 150 percent of poverty level.
And unlike Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, Allliance Family Care covers families regardless of immigration status.
The program began in 2000 with $2 million of the county’s share in the National Tobacco Settlement Fund and grants from the California Endowment and the California Healthcare Foundation. It provides comprehensive health, dental and vision packages - including mental health, pregnancy care and health education. Monthly premiums are $10 for children under age 18 and $20 for adults, with some co-pays.
Originally, the plan was capped at 2,000 members, but demand pushed enrollment to a high of more than 6,000 last year. To pay for the program, the Alameda Alliance for Health dipped into its reserve funding.
County Board of Supervisors President Gail Steele said the county can’t afford to bankroll the health plan at its current level.
"We’ve made a big commitment to Family Care because we know the need is there, but the problem is it’s just too expensive," Steele said. "What we’re facing now in Terms of the budget is just horrendous."
The County has a $140 million budget defecit.
For more information contact:
Amanda Flores-Witte
Director, Communications
(510) 747-4555 exten. 4005