NEW HAMPSHIRE - People are now having to seek health insurance through the state exchanges all across Vermont and New Hampshire and the insurance provider Anthem Blue Cross has decided not to make Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, NH a part of their plan.
With this decision two issues now arise. First is that patients who have Anthem Blue Cross as their health insurance provider will no longer be able to go to Cottage Hospital and receive medial coverage through Anthem Blue Cross, unless of course they pay for the visit - all out of their own pocket. Second is that patients with Anthem Blue Cross will now have to go find another hospital which is apart of Anthem Blue Cross's plan in order to receive coverage.
Dr. Maria Ryan, who is the CEO of Cottage Hospital, is concerned how the powers in Blue Cross did not look at the bigger picture when they decided to exclude Cottage Hospital from their plan.
"The powers to be in Blue Cross took out a map, they looked, they said how many hospitals need to be covering Grafton County and they said only one. Let's just put Dartmouth in there, not realizing our terrain, our secondary roads, here it's a real elderly population," said Ryan.
Not only does the decision affect the local's in New Hampshire, but it also affects the residents in Vermont that use Cottage Hospital. Nearly half of the patients that use Cottage Hospital are from Vermont.
"You know the people on the New Hampshire side, they just look at the New Hampshire statistics and they just think 'Oh we're this little hospital so it doesn't matter if we don't include them,'" Ryan said.
Just by looking at the 53% of New Hampshire residents affected, the number isn't that large, but by adding in the other 47% of Vermonters affected, that number grows. Dr. Ryan figures that the total number of people affected by the decision could total between 200 and 1,000 people.
Cottage Hospital may be out in the cold for right now, but they will be a part of the new exchange next year when Harvard Pilgrim adds a plan. Dr. Ryan is not totally convinced, though, that only having one company in the market place will drive competition and drive down the prices. David Reynolds of Vermont Health Connect does not agree with that. He says that by covering more people the exchange will provide lower costs for everyone.
"One stop shopping, and to see what subsidies they qualify for and premium reductions that they don't currently qualify for," Reynolds said.
Reynolds also added that ""When you ask people if they like the individual provisions of the affordable care act, they say yes, but if you ask them if they like Obamacare, they say no."
Greg Kaudice of Waterford is concerned about the exchange because his wife, who is not covered my Medicare, would only receive $50 on the exchange if they filed jointly, but if they filed separately, his wife would receive $300.
"I'm not impressed, but maybe it will work. I don't know, I'm worried about financing it, that's my concern," said Kaudice.
Back in Vermont the Barnet selectboard says they expect the health exchange to save the town $523 per month. The town is currently spending over $8,200 per month on health insurance for the town employees but now expect to spend $7,700 for equivalent coverage on the health connect.