Marlborough, Mass., Voters Cite Cost of Health Care as Top Concern

In a front-page story on Aug. 21, the Boston Globe profiled residents of the Boston suburb of Marlborough and examined their views on health care issues in relation to the state's gubernatorial race. For many of the 36,000 Marlborough residents, the cost of health care ranks as "not only the number one concern -- at times it seems the only concern." Marlborough voters raised concerns over "skyrocketing prescription costs and shrinking health coverage," which "reflects a national trend," and over a move by state lawmakers last month to reduce Medicaid reimbursement rates for pharmacies and home care services for seniors. Increased health care costs have prompted many Marlborough seniors to travel to Canada to purchase lower-priced prescription drugs, the Globe reports. According to Marlborough voters, a gubernatorial candidate who "offers a convincing plan for affordable health care" will win the election in November. Although candidates have announced an "initial flurry of [health care] proposals ... no candidate has broken through on the issue," the Globe reports. Some Marlborough voters predicted that their favored gubernatorial candidates would help reform the state's "ailing" health care system, but most said that they "have little grasp of their specific proposals" (Abraham, Boston Globe, 8/21).