Health Affairs

Health Affairs, 25, no. 6 (2006): w432-w443 (Published online 14 September 2006) doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.w432 © 2006 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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Massachusetts Health Care Reform: A Look At The Issues

John Holahan and Linda Blumberg

Massachusetts recently enacted a major health reform that could move the state to close to universal health insurance coverage. We describe some of the politics behind the legislation and the law’s key details. We discuss four major issues that the plan would face: (1) a definition of affordability—how much should be borne by individuals and how much by government; (2) issues the state will face in implementing the Insurance Connector; (3) whether employers will respond by dropping coverage; and (4) whether the financing would be adequate, both immediately and over time. Massachusetts will face challenges, but it offers a model that could be followed elsewhere.

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