Enjoys Success, but Not for FreeJune 2008
In the struggle to provide quality
medical insurance to the masses, Massachusetts health insurance has won both praise and criticism. The plan is far-reaching and ambitious – the state goal is to make coverage the law for all those who can afford it, and offer subsidized coverage to everyone in the state who can't. But as critics claim, the costs could bankrupt state coffers.
This week, nearly 100,000 Massachusetts taxpayers got slapped with fines for not complying with the new health insurance regulations. They were deemed able to afford medical insurance by the state, which has determined that those who make more than three times the federal poverty level can afford to purchase some form of Massachusetts health insurance.
And the longer they wait to get coverage, the more they'll have to pay.
Since coverage became the law, the un-insurance rate has dropped by more than half, and residents are now paying less for out-of-pocket health expenses. Even better, the largest drop in the uninsured has taken place among low-income adults, who are now more likely to attend health care checkups and dental visits since the law took effect.
But critics are arguing that these benefits are coming at too high a cost.
Facts on:
Massachusetts Health Coverage
Did you know...
Since mandatory medical insurance became the law, the number of uninsured state residents in Massachusetts has gone down by more than half?
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The new
Massachusetts health insurance plan was estimated to cost about $725 million dollars. Lawmakers are now admitting it's going to cost a lot more than that.
A new dollar-per-pack cigarette tax will hopefully alleviate some of the medical insurance costs. Furthermore, recent polls find that 71% of adults support the new law requiring coverage, which will come in handy when lawmakers have to find a way to continue coverage and pay for rising costs.
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