Sailing through the stormy seas of the health care system requires a navigator. Sarah Kuh and the staff at Vineyard Health Care Access steer Islanders through the murky waters of eligibility and hopefully onto successful enrollment in whichever health care plan is best suited to each individual.
Many policies are changing over effective March 31, including Network Health, popular among Islanders with low and moderate incomes. Health care providers confirm the confusion.
Many thanks go out to Sarah Kuh and the Martha’s Vineyard Health Care Access program for being such sound and steady support in our Island community. Your 18 or so years of service to the residents of Martha’s Vineyard becomes more valuable to us all each year, and it is good to see your leadership in health care recognized.
National health care reform rolled out Oct. 1, leaving some confused about if and how things will change, and others lost in the details of premiums and health insurance exchanges.
On the Vineyard, the staff at Vineyard Health Care Access is at the front lines, fielding calls from residents, receiving training on the new law, and answering questions about how things will change.
Islanders seem to voice the complaint nearly as often as they grumble about summer traffic backups at the blinker light and spiking prices at the gas pump:
You can’t find a primary care doctor on the Island.
On a recent Wednesday morning, Michelle Nepton, enrollment specialist at Vineyard Health Care Access, took a quick moment in between clients to put on a pot of coffee. It was the second full pot of the day. It was only 10:30.
The fight to keep funding intact for the Vineyard Health Care Access Program continued without letup last week during a meeting of the county advisory board on the county operating budget for the coming year.
Members of the Dukes County Health Council, the charter study commission, concerned residents and county commissioners packed the county administration building on their lunch breaks last Thursday to watch as the advisory board voted to approve a draft $1.9 million operating budget for the coming fiscal year.
The Vineyard Health Care Access Program is sponsoring a workshop for local employers about rules regarding health insurance enacted as part of the state’s health care reform program.
The workshop is set for Thursday, April 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in the library conference room.
The Vineyard Health Care Access Program is holding a public information meeting for legal permanent residents who used to have Commonwealth Care health insurance and lost their coverage due to state budget cuts. The new plan, called Commonwealth Care Bridge Health Plan, began for most of these members on Martha’s Vineyard on Nov. 1.
Representatives of CeltiCare, the health insurance company that offers the Commonwealth Care Bridge Health Plan, will discuss the benefits, costs and participating providers, and answer questions.
