Friday, June 02, 2006
The message was clear: You can not get away with bypassing health insurance anymore.
In a ground breaking move with far-reaching implications, Massachusetts adopted a law in April to need state residents to get medical insurance by July 1, 2007. Formerly, no state had necessary people to carry medical insurance.
In a ground breaking move with far-reaching implications, Massachusetts adopted a law in April to need state residents to get medical insurance by July 1, 2007. Formerly, no state had necessary people to carry medical insurance.
Industry observers gave varied views on whether this law should or can serve as a model in other states. Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen organization, suggests caution: "Other states, which are firing up their Xerox machines now, must wait to see how this works out before rushing to follow the Bay State's lead."
Universal coverage
Universal coverage
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signed the law, but vetoed a stipulation that will have charged businesses $295 per employee, if they have more than 10 workers and do not offer health benefits. Legislators in the House of Representatives were rapid to override that line-item veto about two weeks later. The state Senate is probable to do the same, observers say.
"Massachusetts is leading the way with health insurance for everyone, without a government takeover and without raising taxes," declared Romney, who is taking into consideration a run for the presidency in 2008.
Romney's spokeswoman, Corby Kiernan, says, "The main [goal] was to cover the uninsured in Massachusetts and reduce the cost of health care." About 550,000 Massachusetts residents are uninsured, she estimates.
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