In case y’all can’t tell- I’m skipping class this morning and have been fueled by one strong pot o’coffee that The Kid made this morning. Wheeeeee- caffeine!
So it is in this hyper-fueled state of type that I give you the run down on the new Massachusetts law requiring healthcare for all. Is it a plan for actual universal coverage- absolutely not. Is it a law meant to push the state into readiness for actual universal coverage- maybe.
What the law does is penalize businesses that don’t provide healthcare to employees with a fine that is much smaller than the actual cost of providing healthcare to those employees, and fines individuals who can afford health insurance but do not choose to get it (again- the fine is much lower than the actual cost of healthcare). It also provides premium subsidies to individuals who cannot afford health insurance.
The effect of this law is that businesses will quickly realize that it’s cheaper to pay the fine than provide coverage and employer sponsored healthcare in Mass is going to go the way of the dinosaurs- leaving a huge pool of people without coverage. Those people who the state then deems able to afford coverage but are choosing not to be covered privately will pay fines. The winners under this law are the working poor who currently make too much to qualify for Medicaid- they will now be eligible for premium subsidies (though where the money for those subsidies is coming from is a mystery and is not clarified in the bill).
How does this push the state towards universal healthcare? All those people who used to be covered by employers but now are paying fines because their employer stopped providing insurance are gonna be the ones pushing for universal coverage that is actually universal and not tied to an employer. It does set up an expectation of coverage and a means for collecting funds to cover a universal program as well as the beginning of a sliding scale system for premium payments.
More links-
The Boston Channel
The Christian Science Monitor
Boston.com
PBS Newshour