The Massachusetts health insurance experiment cut the uninsurance rate among working-age adults to 7 percent in fall 2007 from 13 percent in fall 2006 according to a new survey published in the journal Health Affairs. More people have sought medical care and fewer people face high out-of-pocket costs.
But USA Today reports that the cost continues to grow. Nearly 100,000 people were fined for not purchasing insurance. The program already costs $245 million more than originally expected and rising. “Lawmakers are hoping to close the gap in part with a new dollar-per-pack cigarette tax.”
Without changes to make health insurance more affordable similar to those in New Jersey or Florida, the Massachusetts program’s popularity will rapidly fade as costs continue to climb.
