Christian Science Monitor Examines Massachusetts Health Coverage Expansion Proposals
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The Christian Science Monitor on Monday examined proposals in Massachusetts to expand health coverage. Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has proposed a plan that would require all state residents to purchase health insurance, and separate plans have has been approved by the state House and Senate. Under the Romney and House plans, insurance companies would offer reduced-cost plans, with monthly premiums of about $200. Residents with incomes of up to $28,710 would be eligible for state subsidies to help pay the premium. Under the House plan, residents who do not purchase coverage could have their driver’s licenses suspended. In addition, the House plan would require employers to provide insurance and would impose a payroll tax on those who do not. Meanwhile, the state Senate has approved a plan that would expand coverage but would not impose an individual mandate. The House and Senate bills will be considered for a compromise in conference committee as early as this week. Health policy experts say other states and federal officials will be watching Massachusetts’ progress. Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health, said, “This is the first time this idea is real and live before a state and legislature.” He continued, “If a major bill passes in Massachusetts, it would be viewed as some model that should appear in the next presidential debate. If it collapses, people will say, ‘There isn’t a stomach for (a health care overhaul), even in a state like Massachusetts’” (Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor, 11/21).
