Democratic Candidate for Massachusetts Governor Proposes Universal Health Care System

Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate and former state Sen. Warren Tolman (D) on May 28 proposed a universal health care system that would insure all workers in the state as well as Medicaid beneficiaries, "whose coverage is now being threatened by legislative budget cuts," the Boston Globe reports. Under the system, employers and their workers would be required to make direct contributions to the state plan, which would replace MassHealth, Massachusetts' Medicaid and CHIP program. While insurance coverage would be "centralized under a single statewide system," hospitals and other medical services would continue to operate privately. Tolman said that a universal health care system would reduce administrative costs by 60%, citing a study by the Boston University School of Public Health. The savings would come in part from bulk purchasing of prescription drugs and from eliminating "duplicative costs" for advertising and lobbying. However, Dr. Marylou Buyse, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, said that the state has an adequate health care infrastructure already in place, adding that universal health care would "force consumers, taxpayers and employers to pay billions more for health care." The Globe reports that Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has also proposed the creation of a universal health care system, but Tolman said his plan "goes further" (Ebbert, Boston Globe, 5/29). (see related story on voters' opinions)