Health Affairs, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.w432 (Published online September 14, 2006) © 2006 by Project HOPE	New Online   May/June Issue: Health Reform Revisited   Reform and '08 Election   Promoting off-label drug use information

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Massachusetts Health Care Reform: A Look At The Issues

¹ John Holahan is director of the Health Policy Center, Urban Institute, in Washington, D.C.
² Linda Blumberg is a principal research associate at the center.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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. [Health Affairs 25 (2006): w432-w443; 10.1377/hlthaff.25.w432]

Key Words: Access To Care, Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Health Reform, Insurance Coverage, Legal/Regulatory Issues, Managed Competition, State/Local Issues, Politics, Insurance Market

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