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As NPR calls it, Massachusetts health insurance is the "most closely watched experiment in U.S. health care" today.

But it's not an experiment without problems.

Sure, enrollment in the new Massachusetts health insurance plan, which requires all adults over age 18 be covered, has reported high enrollment and statewide consumer satisfaction. Most of the newly enrolled are poor or near-poor, and problems with medical debt and unmet health care needs have declined.

But it's not cheap. Due to this very success the Massachusetts health insurance bill is running at hundreds of millions of dollars higher than expected. In some cases people are struggling to get appointment with doctors, to deal with bureaucratic red tape, and more.

And through it all, the biggest challenge seems to be forcing young people to sign up.

But if it works, Massachusetts health insurance plan will work on a grand scale, since much of the nation sees their experiment as a potential blueprint for the rest of the country.

Which also means that failure of the plan could have large-scale national implications for health care today and how it should be regulated.