With the new health care legislation in effect, Medicaid coverage will go up by $914 million. Over 480,000 children and adults will be helped with the new law. There is still some grumbles on this new legislation as there is $914 million taxpayer dollars that is going to be spent. In the Pee Dee area, there seems to be a lot of positive feedback on this new legislation. Workers are ecstatic on the news and hope this is the beginning for something more.
Medicaid is a service for medical assistance to help out people to pay for healthcare. Medicare is a service for medical assistance for older individuals or individuals who have some sort of disability. In the Pee Dee cities of Darlington and Florence, Medicare and Medicaid are teaming up to help individuals with their health care. Both offices of the Department of Health and Human Services work together regularly but due to this new bill, they will be working as a unit.
Doris Myers, Supervisor of the Department of Health and Human Services brings insight into what will be happening.
“We have a doughnut hole in what the older people will have to pay. I hope it closes the hole to help them with what they pay out of pocket. Medicare pays 85 percent for health coverage. Hopefully it can go to 90 percent,” said Myers.
When asked how she feels about Obama’s legislation and how it can help, she said “I think it is the step in the right direction. I think some of our government officials do not see it from our point of view and see all the people who need help.”
Myers also went in depth on how much people are struggling and how the health care bill can help.
“At one time, Medicare used to pay for 90 percent health coverage through Medicaid (including medicine) and the client would pay ten percent. Now, we pay ten percent and the client pays 90 percent.”
One plan of action is the Gap Program. The Gap Program is where a client will fill out an application and Medicare will pay for their bills. If they are on Medicaid, they pay the other 15 percent Medicare does not pay for.
In the Darlington office of the Department of Health and Human Services, there is an overwhelming amount of excitement and also a feeling of the unknown as to what may happen and how it is going to work.
“I think some of the money should be allocated for the young adults going to school,” said Angela Foster, social worker for the Darlington office.
One woman who came in the Darlington office by the name of Geraldine Johnson was not granted Medicaid and had an interesting take on it.
“As hard as it is out here, I just wish we could get it now. I am in desperate need of it now. I cannot get any Medicaid or Medicare because they say I am over the hump (financially) and not eligible,” she said.
In response, Foster also brought out another interesting point in discussing how people who come to the Darlington office are desperately trying to get Medicaid and how a lot of them do not know that it fully kicks in until 2014.
“Since the Healthcare Reform bill has been passed, people have been jumping to get Medicaid, but the bill does not go into effect until 2014. This is the one downside to the healthcare bill in my opinion. It also makes me wonder how things will be once it does go into effect because the office has just been so crazy,” she said.
Another social worker in the Darlington office of the Department of Health and Human Service Phyllis Brooks sees the people who come into the Medicare office and offers insight to what she sees.
“I hope it is beneficial to everybody. I think most of the anticipation comes from how they are going to handle the allocation of funds. It is much needed because it is sad how people are in dying need to go to the doctor and they can’t because they are just over the hump. They need more help than that because this is a serious problem and I am glad it is being catered to,” she said.
Another interesting take from another social worker was from Emeline Clarkson.
“I understand what our president is trying to do but at the same time, it seems a tad bit ridiculous. The workers here already have lots to do and this will increase the workload and I wonder how everybody who comes in here will be eligible. I think it rings sort of a false sense of security to the whole situation,” she said.
This new bill seems to bring a lot of controversy, opinion, and promise to the Pee Dee areas of Darlington and Florence. Only time will tell whether or not this will be a good idea or a bad one. Can only hope for the best.
