Even though the state’s fishermen work in physically demanding and dangerous conditions, a sizable number go without health insurance. The seasonal nature of lobstering and the cost of insurance often make coverage prohibitive.
A 2006 Gulf of Maine Research Institute study on the economic well-being of lobstermen found that nearly a quarter carried no health insurance, which is more than double the rate of those without insurance among the rest of the New England population.
In the Downeast region, that figure climbs to some 50 percent of lobstermen, says Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA). That means many Maine lobstermen live one accident away from losing their livelihood, and many others forgo even basic health care because of the cost, she said.
“A lot of lobstermen live in pain,” McCarron said.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, represents an opportunity to expand insurance coverage for the state’s fishermen by mandating everyone buy insurance and offering subsidies for those who can’t afford it. The MLA won a grant to train a staff-member, April Gilmore, to help lobstermen navigate the logistics of signing up for coverage.
Though the association takes no position on the mandate, McCarron says she and others have long believed that access to insurance coverage is a good thing for lobstermen.
“We see a huge benefit to that, and if we didn’t we would never have taken on this role,” she said.
But the signup effort has presented unique logistical challenges. While the association’s office is in Kennebunk, Gilmore is charged with reaching out to lobstering communities throughout the coast. And some lobstermen had gotten used to not having insurance, so much so that they didn’t really understand what the law did or the ins and outs of coverage.
The association knew it had to ramp up to answer member questions, and in this it may have been aided by a quirk of the calendar. When the Obamacare website opened for business, many lobstermen were still finishing up the season, and few tried to sign up. That proved to be fortuitous, as they avoided the anxiety brought about by the website headaches that derailed other signup efforts throughout the country. It also bought the association time to get up to speed.
“We were really, really climbing the learning curve,” McCarron said.
The association sent out a postcard to every member in December and received a deluge of phone calls. Gilmore often had to field 30 calls a day. Eventually, the association was able to do triage with the calls, sending out basic information on health insurance to those beginning to think about the process and walking others through the signup that were ready.
They also were able to help steer many people to the dozens of other trained ACA navigators throughout the state, including at health centers in Vinalhaven and Swan’s Island.
Not all outreach was done through the MLA office. Kevin Hunt, for example, has been working as a navigator on the Blue Hill peninsula through the Washington Hancock Community Agency. He and his fellow navigators have given presentations and signed people up for coverage at area libraries.
Hunt said he’s been impressed with the community effort to get people enrolled. One construction firm owner brought Hunt in to speak to his workers, including some part-time fishermen, while they were on the clock.
“He was willing to keep them warm and keep them on the clock to figure out how to do this,” Hunt said.
But the MLA’s outreach effort is the only one in the state specifically targeted for fishermen.
So far, Gilmore reports she has worked with over 1,000 people through community meetings, one-on-one meetings, and phone calls. Now that the government website is running smoothly, the signup process has been going fairly well. Often, fishermen can successfully sign up for insurance over the phone.
McCarron says reaction has been mixed among those signing up for coverage. Many who qualify for a subsidy have been pleasantly surprised how affordable insurance coverage is, while those who don’t qualify for a subsidy sometimes are alarmed at the price. Some fishermen who in the past signed up for minimal coverage or “catastrophic” insurance are finding those plans are either no longer available or more expensive than before.
McCarron said the association wants to provide information, not to push anyone to get insurance before the March 31 deadline.
For more information on signing up for coverage, see: mainelobstermen.org/health-insurance-navigator/