Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Lowered Uninsured Rate, Had ‘Marginal’ Effect on Spending, Group Says
The Massachusetts Health Insurance Law of 2006 has allowed the state to have the lowest uninsured rate in the country while having a "marginal impact" on state spending, according to a report by the Massachusetts Taxpayer Association, the AP/Boston Globe reports. MTA was among the groups supporting the bill's original passage. The report shows that health care spending will increase by $707 million from fiscal year 2006 to FY 2010. Half of that increase would be covered by the federal government, so the annual cost increase for the state would be $88 million, according to MTA. It noted that many workers who had chosen not to purchase employer-provided insurance before the law took effect now have done so, which has resulted in about $750 million in additional costs for businesses each year (AP/Boston Globe, 5/20).
A summary of the report is available online. The full report also is available on the same page (.pdf).