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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Tag: Insurance premiums

State Medicaid Program – Indiana

Indiana’s poor get Medicaid — by paying, By Noam N. Levey, June 15, 2015, Chicago Tribune: “Linda Joyner, at 64, just got health coverage. Uninsured for years, the former waitress signed up for Medicaid after Indiana expanded its program through the Affordable Care Act. But unlike millions of low-income Americans who’ve enrolled in the government plan since last year, Joyner is paying for her coverage. Indiana, which has a conservative Republican governor and legislature, is pioneering an experiment that requires low-income patients to contribute monthly to a special health account. Joyner chips in $12.33…”

Auto Insurance Premiums in Low-Income Areas

Low-income drivers face higher auto insurance, even when they have clean driving records, By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, September 30, 2014, Washington Post: “For someone making $21,000 a year, paying $500 a year for auto insurance can be a struggle. Yet low-income families across the country are paying about that much for minimum coverage, even with clean driving records, according to the Consumer Federation of America. Researchers at the advocacy group found that the five largest auto insurers — Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Progressive and State Farm — do not offer basic policies to safe drivers for less than $500 a year in more than one-third of the nation’s low-income areas…”

Medicaid Premiums

Medicaid gives the poor a reason to say no thanks, By Aaron E. Carroll, September 22, 2014, New York Times: “There are generally two ways that people with insurance pay for health care in the United States: premiums, which get you insurance before you receive care, and a variety of cost-sharing mechanisms — like deductibles, co-pays and coinsurance — that come into play when you do receive it. While Medicaid, our safety net program for the poor, has used cost-sharing mechanisms for some time, it has been prohibited from asking people to pay premiums…”