Additional 439,000 Massachusetts Residents Insured Since 2006 Enactment of Universal Health Insurance Law, Report Finds

An additional 439,000 Massachusetts residents have obtained health insurance since June 2006, when the state began mandating that all residents have health coverage, according to a report by the state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy released on Tuesday, the Boston Globe reports.

Before the law took effect, an estimated 600,000 state residents were uninsured (Lazar, Boston Globe, 8/20). According to the report, released by Gov. Deval Patrick's (D) office, almost half of the newly insured residents have purchased private coverage, including 159,000 with employer-sponsored coverage and 32,000 with individual insurance, while 248,000 obtained state-subsidized coverage from June 2006 through March 2008 (Boston Globe graphic, 8/20). The report also found the number of hospitals and community health center visits by uninsured residents declined by 37% between July and September 2007, compared with the same period the previous year. As a result, the state reduced charity care expenses by $68 million during that period. "The figures ... provide some of the most compelling evidence so far" that the "experiment" to require all residents to obtain health insurance is working, according to the Globe (Boston Globe, 8/20).

The report is available online (.pdf).

Editorial
The Massachusetts health insurance law "is working," a Boston Herald editorial states. But according to the editorial "it isn't all sweetness and light," adding, "Not surprisingly, some of those who signed up early on were those who needed health care the most and who had neglected health issues for too long. Insurers have found their own cost of coverage soaring" and "government, of course, which is picking up the tab both for MassHealth and for those subsidies, is struggling, too." As a result of higher-than-expected enrollment and costs, insurers will pay an additional $33 million, while health care providers will pay an additional $20 million in assessments to the program.

The editorial concludes, "It's wonderful to celebrate success," adding, "It's also critical to make sure this program doesn't become a victim of that success and further victimize those segments of the community -- business, health providers and insurers -- who make it work" (Boston Herald, 8/21).