Massachusetts: First universal health insurance

Widely reported in the press, Massachusetts would become the first state in the nation to require all its residents to have health insurance. Yesterday its legislature approved HB4850, "An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care," which awaits signing by Gov. Mitt Romney. If approved, the law would cover the approximately 550,000 who are unininsured in the state by July 1, 2007.

The Massachusetts General Court (legislature) has provided helpful aids to the bill on its web site under "Health Care Conference Report." Presentation (pdf, 88KB, 20p.) gives highlights of the bill. The Conference Committee Report (pdf, 60KB, 11p.) provides a summary of the bill and FAQ. The Section-by-Section Summary (pdf, 36KB, 11p.) is a convenient guide to the extensive bill.