[xtypo_dropcap]M[/xtypo_dropcap]assachusetts now has the highest rate of insured individuals in the country. The governor’s office announced earlier this month that over 98 percent of Massachusetts residents have health care.
A 2006 law passed in Massachusetts mandated that almost every resident of the state maintain a minimum amount of health care coverage. Those falling below the 150 percent poverty level would be covered free of charge, and those making between 150 and 300 percent of the national poverty level would have a portion of their rates covered by the state.
“In just a few years, Massachusetts’ achievements in health care reform have been nothing short of extraordinary,” stated Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby in a press release. ”Our success here demonstrates the impact that meaningful reform can have on improving access to quality care.”
Bigby added that employers, the government, and individuals are bearing part of the burden of reform, making Massachusetts the state with the highest insurance rate in the nation.
Although many see this almost universal coverage percentage as positive, many believe that the cost is too great. The expense of coverage is split between the individual, businesses, and the government. Many individuals and businesses in Massachusetts do not agree with being forced to pay for coverage.
“Health care reform has changed countless lives for the better,” said Glen Shor, executive director of the state’s Health Connector in a statement. “We now need to sustain it by tackling costs.”
Businesses with more than 11 employees are required to pay a “Fair Share Employer Contribution,” and those failing to do so face penalties per employee per year.
Individuals without coverage are also personally penalized. For the 2010 tax year, individuals above the 300 percent poverty line ($43,716 for a family of two) are forced to pay 93 dollars per month per person that an individual goes without coverage. This amounts to a penalty up to $1,116 dollars per year per person.
Several lawsuits have been filed in Massachusetts protesting this forced payment. In one case a Massachusetts resident, Michael Merlina, sued the state for an almost $2,000 fine of which he could not afford. On his website, Merlina says, “I’m just a normal guy trying to make ends meet. We bought our condo when times were good. My wife was employed, we were making a decent living, and her prior employer paid almost 90 percent of a health insurance plan for us.”
Merlina continues that with his wife is now between jobs, his family’s business “is doing all that it can to survive in this economy, and we do not have health insurance.”
“As if it isn’t hard enough to make ends meet at the end of every week, the state is making it even more difficult,” states Merlina.
Although the percentage of those covered is positive to many, the downside is the economic burden on small businesses and individuals. With Obamacare set to take effect in 2014, it faces similar challenges. This month, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson from the state of Virginia ruled that it is unconstitutional for the government to force Americans to pay for health care.
A 2006 law passed in Massachusetts mandated that almost every resident of the state maintain a minimum amount of health care coverage. Those falling below the 150 percent poverty level would be covered free of charge, and those making between 150 and 300 percent of the national poverty level would have a portion of their rates covered by the state.
“In just a few years, Massachusetts’ achievements in health care reform have been nothing short of extraordinary,” stated Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby in a press release. ”Our success here demonstrates the impact that meaningful reform can have on improving access to quality care.”
Bigby added that employers, the government, and individuals are bearing part of the burden of reform, making Massachusetts the state with the highest insurance rate in the nation.
Although many see this almost universal coverage percentage as positive, many believe that the cost is too great. The expense of coverage is split between the individual, businesses, and the government. Many individuals and businesses in Massachusetts do not agree with being forced to pay for coverage.
“Health care reform has changed countless lives for the better,” said Glen Shor, executive director of the state’s Health Connector in a statement. “We now need to sustain it by tackling costs.”
Businesses with more than 11 employees are required to pay a “Fair Share Employer Contribution,” and those failing to do so face penalties per employee per year.
Individuals without coverage are also personally penalized. For the 2010 tax year, individuals above the 300 percent poverty line ($43,716 for a family of two) are forced to pay 93 dollars per month per person that an individual goes without coverage. This amounts to a penalty up to $1,116 dollars per year per person.
Several lawsuits have been filed in Massachusetts protesting this forced payment. In one case a Massachusetts resident, Michael Merlina, sued the state for an almost $2,000 fine of which he could not afford. On his website, Merlina says, “I’m just a normal guy trying to make ends meet. We bought our condo when times were good. My wife was employed, we were making a decent living, and her prior employer paid almost 90 percent of a health insurance plan for us.”
Merlina continues that with his wife is now between jobs, his family’s business “is doing all that it can to survive in this economy, and we do not have health insurance.”
“As if it isn’t hard enough to make ends meet at the end of every week, the state is making it even more difficult,” states Merlina.
Although the percentage of those covered is positive to many, the downside is the economic burden on small businesses and individuals. With Obamacare set to take effect in 2014, it faces similar challenges. This month, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson from the state of Virginia ruled that it is unconstitutional for the government to force Americans to pay for health care.
