Boston Globe Examines ‘Progress And Perils’ Of State Health Insurance Law

April 27, 2007 – 4:53 pm | posted in Health Insurance

The Boston Globe on Sunday examined the major obstacles the Massachusetts health insurance law faces as it approaches the July 1 deadline for residents to have coverage. However, the "the big tests" of the law have "yet to come," the Globe reports. The "biggest strides so far" have been in providing no-cost insurance for low-income uninsured residents; about half of that group already signed up for the state’s Medicaid program or subsidized coverage, according to the Globe. Another question that remains is whether lower-income residents who do not qualify for no-cost insurance will sign up for a health insurance plan and whether state residents will be able to overcome the "widespread public confusion" that exists about the large number of unsubsidized and subsidized plans, according to the Globe. The "biggest challenge" to implementing the law will be financing the plan, which is estimated to cost $1.6 billion this year and is expected to increase, the Globe reports (Dembner, Boston Globe, 4/22).

Business, Employee Outreach Campaign
In related news, hospitals and community health centers around Massachusetts have launched educational campaigns about the health insurance law that are geared toward business owners. Dozens of hospitals will host open houses on Wednesday to teach business owners and employees about the responsibilities and costs under the health insurance law, as well as recent changes to the program, the Globe reports. The other elements of the outreach campaign include community breakfasts, brochures and posters in 14 languages, and first aid kits with the slogan "Massachusetts Health Reform: More Than Just a Band-Aid." The outreach campaign is being funded with a $400,000 grant from the state Legislature to the Massachusetts Hospital Association (Rowland, Boston Globe, 4/23).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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