Massachusetts residents have long taken delight in their home state. From the hills of the Berkshires to the sands of Cape Cod, from John Adams to John Kennedy, from Plymouth Plantation nearly 400 years ago to the technical marvels researched and studied at colleges and universities today - the Bay State has stood out and stands apart.

Now, the state that is generally familiar for the high quality of its medical care is taking another step forward, solidifying its new plan that would ensure that every single resident has health insurance.

The federal government had been intimidating to withhold hundreds of millions of Medicaid dollars that Massachusetts had been receiving each year. But on Wednesday, the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, appearing at a press meeting with Gov. W. Mitt Romney, promised that the Bay State will continue to get the federal funds for the next two years. The reason? The federal government has reviewed the state's universal plan and given it the green light.