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Healthcare in Massachusetts is a legislative provision from 2006 designed to extend Healthcare to most of the residents of Massachusetts . BACKGROUND As of March, 2006 there were around 500,000 uninsured residents of Massachusetts. Those who are uninsured commonly utilize are required to provide care even if a patient cannot pay for it. As a result, hospitals have been left with unpaid bills and mounting expenses to care for the uninsured.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5330854 In Massachusetts, an approximately $1 billion fund known as the "free care pool" is used to partially reimburse hospitals and health centers for these expenses. The fund is raised through an annual assessment on insurance providers and hospitals, plus contributions of state and federal tax revenue. MIT professor Jonathan Gruber studied the state's population and health care needs and determined that there was enough money in the "free care pool" to pay for reform legislation without requiring additional funding or taxes.http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008213 In November 2004, political leaders began advocating for major reforms of the Massachusetts health care system to expand coverage. First, the Senate President Robert Travaglini called for a plan to reduce the number of uninsured in half. A few days later, the Governor, Mitt Romney, announced that he would propose a plan to cover virtually all of the uninsured. At the same time, a broad coalition of health activists introduced a bill that expanded Medicaid coverage and required employers to either provide coverage or pay an assessment to the state. The coalition stated they would gather signatures to place their proposal on the ballot in November 2006 if the legislature did not enact comprehensive health access reform. The state also faced pressure from the federal government, which insisted that changes be made to the federal waiver that allows Massachusetts to operate an expanded Medicaid program. Under the existing waiver, the state was receving $385 million in federal funds to assist health plans operated for the uninsured by two public hospital systems. The federal authorities directed the state to shift those funds to insurance coverage. These forces converged in fall 2005 as the House and Senate passed health reform bills that drew on proposals of the Governor, the activist coalition, and legislative initiatives. REFORM LEGISLATION The new Massachusetts health care legislation establishes a system to provide citizens with private, affordable, insurance. The state will work to enroll all residents eligible for Medicaid and subsidize private insurance policies for low income individuals.http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2005-07-04-health-insurance-usat_x.htm Uninsured people below the federal poverty level will not have any premiums or deductibles. For those between the poverty level and 300% of poverty, a sliding scale based on income is used to determine the amount of money a person contributes to their policy. The higher the income, the higher the premium. Individuals who can afford health coverage but choose not to purchase a policy will now be required by law to acquire insurance. Failure to purchase Health Insurance would result in tax penalties.http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1184679,00.html The legislation also establishes a device developed by the Heritage Foundation known as the "Connector." The Connector allows Massachusetts residents to "purchase health insurance with pretax dollars, even if their employer makes no contribution. The connector enables pretax payments, simplifies Payroll Deduction , permits prorated employer contributions for Part-time employees, reduces insurer marketing costs, and makes it efficient for policies to be entirely portable. Because small businesses may use the Connector, it gives them even greater bargaining power than large companies."http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008213 METAMORPHOSIS The legislature made a number of changes to Governor Romney's original proposal, including expanding Masshealth ( Medicaid ) coverage to low-income children and restoring funding for Public Health programs. The most controversial change was adding a provision charging firms that do not offer coverage to their workers. The charge, $295 annually per worker, is intended to equalize the free care pool charges imposed on employers who do and do not cover their workers. The legislature also rejected Governor Romney's proposal to permit high- Deductible , low benefit health plans. On April 12, 2006 Governor benefits to poor residents on the Medicaid program, and providing health coverage to senior and disabled legal Immigrant s not eligible for federal Medicaid.http://www.thetranscript.com/headlines/ci_3706699 http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=134877 The House of Representatives overrode all of Romney's vetoes on April 25, 2006. The Senate is expected to override the vetoes in early May, 2006 REFERENCES |
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