Health Insurance for All?

[CameronJr9]

Our Canadian friends won't care as much, but I think it's a HUGE step for any government in the U.S. Hopefully other states (and then the federal government?) will follow. I work at a health care company, and we just received this today:

On April 12, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney signed into law a bill that will make health insurance available to every state resident by 2009. The new law also includes creation of a quality and cost council and collection and publication of data, which will allow consumers to compare the quality, track record, and cost of hospitals and providers.

Under the new law, every Massachusetts resident will be required, by July 1, 2007, to purchase health insurance. For uninsured individuals not eligible for Medicaid, those with lower incomes will receive premium assistance on an income-based sliding scale for policies with no deductibles; those with higher incomes will be able to purchase lower-cost policies in the private market. Premium assistance will be financed by redirecting a portion of the $1 billion currently spent by state government on the uninsured.

Beginning on January 1, 2008, failure by individuals to purchase health insurance will result in the loss of their state tax refund equal to 50 percent of an affordable health insurance premium. Penalties will be assessed for each month without creditable coverage.

The creation of an entity, the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Connector, will allow individuals to purchase affordable plans on a pre-tax basis, will administer premium assistance for low-income individuals, and will facilitate employer contributions for both full-time and part-time workers and those working at more than one company.

Non-working individuals, working individuals at companies that do not offer health insurance, workers not eligible for coverage at their place of business such as part-timers, contractors, and new employees, small businesses with 50 or fewer employees, and those who are self-employed will be able to use the Connector.

In comments delivered at the bill’s signing, Governor Romney said that the bill can lead to: “every citizen with affordable, comprehensive health insurance; small businesses able to conveniently buy insurance for their employees at a cost that’s competitive with big businesses; medical transparency, bringing marketplace dynamics to health care, really for the first time; and finally beginning to rein in health inflation.”

[webby]

waiting for hate posts by canadians. From what I've heard in the past, heath care in Canada is nothing compared to that in the states. It's sub par. Yes it's "free" to everyone, but the service you get is not good. But that is just from talking with a small # of people. That may not be the majority

[CameronJr9]

True...but up there it is, as you said, free. It sounds like Massachusetts is making this a mandatory paid service (which isn't bad), but they'll hold your taxes if you don't participate. All-in-all, I do think it's a step in the right direction.

[CHRIS]

i get full benefits for myself paid by my company, as long as i'm unmarried. will this affect me in any way?

[Jaranath]

I'm for it.

I don't know how the specifics of the Mass. plan will work out in the long run, I don't know all the benefits and drawbacks of other universal systems, and I'm aware there ARE drawbacks and complaints.

But watching how things are going (and growing) with healthcare costs, things will "come to a head," and soon. So many companies now want nothing to do with healthcare costs, and some seem to be seeing universal healthcare as bailing them out of their predicament. The runaway costs are continuing, and as they do, more and more of us drop coverage. But virtually none of us considers acceptable the quality of medical care that the lower-income uninsured can expect. We don't want to stand by and watch people die, whatever the reason.

As long as that latter point remains true, I see universal healthcare of some sort an inevitability. I hope we do the best job of it we can. I suspect the worst-case scenarios will not be borne out, and I am not of the "government can do nothing right" mindset, though I certainly recognize its capacity for failure. Part of what I hope for in all this, if we start going to such systems, is that we work to take control of health care costs in general. In the long run, I think that will be the more important effort.

[CameronJr9]

Chris, it won't affect your for two reasons. First, you already have health coverage, so when they say it's mandatory...you're already meeting that requirement. Second, you don't live in MA.

[CHRIS]

ahahaha ha ha.............ur right cameron