To those in favor of major healthcare reform, Massachusetts’ Mandatory Health Insurance represents a model of healthcare equity and universal coverage. To those opposed, it serves as a prime example of governmental intrusion and unwelcome mandatory participation.
Whichever side of the healthcare reform bill issue you’re on, there are positives and negatives to take away from the Massachusetts experience that can help shape a national plan:
Pros
Universal Coverage – Healthcare coverage is truly universal, requiring all Massachusetts residents to be covered.
Portability – Allows for the portability of health insurance coverage between jobs.
Transparent Costs & Quality – The law requires a consumer health website be set up to compare the cost and quality of healthcare services. The website assists consumers in making informed healthcare decisions.
Bipartisan Effort – Massachusetts legislators put politics aside for the common good.
Cons
Mandatory – Companies with 11 employees or more must provide coverage for their employees. If they do not, the state of Massachusetts charges employers $295 per month, per employee for mandated health coverage.
Pay For Performance – Medicare reimbursement is tied to quality and performance. Some say this approach harms the patient-doctor relationship by aligning the physician’s incentives more with reimbursement than care.
More Regulations – The system is complicated and requires additional levels of regulation and government involvement.
Enforcement – Massachusetts residents must provide proof of health insurance coverage on their tax forms or be penalized.
Early results show a decrease by more than 50% of adults without health insurance coverage, residents are paying less in out-of-pocket health expenses and low-income adults are now more likely to undergo regular check-ups and visit dentists.
The pros and cons of the Massachusetts healthcare model can be debated. But perhaps the most valuable lesson set by this progressive state is that significant national healthcare reform can be achieved if legislators are willing to work on a bipartisan basis.
Category: General Politics
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Wednesday, 7. October 2009
Screw mandatory health care. If I don’t want the government telling me what to do, then that’s my choice!
Monday, 12. October 2009
Screw mandatory taxes. If I don’t want the government telling me what to do, then that’s my choice!
Friday, 4. December 2009
Comparing taxes and government-directed private spending is comparing apples to oranges. With taxes, we give money to the government that the government can spend as it chooses. With this health care plan, we must pay a private company or suffer a penalty imposed by the government.
This is the government removing one of our choices. It is not progressive, but rather, restrictive. It makes us more vulnerable to private companies. If you must compare it to taxation, it’s more appropriate to compare it to Tammany Hall cronyism and tax farming.
Wednesday, 25. August 2010
MA health care reform has been a disaster for my family. My wife and I are fined about $2400 each year by the state of Massachusetts for not buying health insurance. I’m almost 60, been layoff, and jobs are hard to find. We live basically off our savings and investments and always paid our own medical costs; but, since receiving the fines our family budget is now out of balance, I‘ve had to reduced my insulin shots to save money; this will eventually lead to organ failure. The state is literally killing me with there fine. I’m being fined for being responsible and paying my own medical bills. If the fines continue and get bigger we plan on moving out of the state when I retire to save money; my pension will follow me and the state will loose out on our income tax revenue. Being fined for living? Being fined for not buying a financial product? I love the people of MA but hate its insensitive no-it-all politicians.
Wednesday, 18. May 2011
The only logical solution to out health care crisis is for Nationa Health Care to replace private, for-profit health insurance. It is easily paid for by expanding paroll taxes and this increase will be offset by eliminating personal income taxes. Please read the press release below to see how this is accomplished.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles, CA – The publication of Fishman’s Framework for Tax Reform heralds the introduction of the tax reform plan that will save our middle class. It will be accepted by a majority of Americans because it is written from the perspective of, and meets the objectives of republicans, democrats and independents.
It lowers taxes for individuals and corporations, lowers the tax on capitol gains and removes the tax on interest. Yet, it raises a $1 trillion dollars more in revenue than our current tax system.
The additional revenue solves Social Security’s long term funding problem, creates and fully funds National Health Care and expands public education to include college free of charge. It also solves each states fiscal crisis.
Fishman’s Framework for Tax Reform is only 18 pages long and comes with commentary, tax revenue estimates and five year budget projections. Additionally, there are seven appendices that prove that this tax reform plan lowers taxes for everyone and funds all government programs while running a budget surplus.
Fishman’s Framework for Tax Reform is available to read free of charge at: http://www.serioustaxreform.com
contact: mark@serioustaxreform.com
Fishman’s Framework for Tax Reform, Video Lectures