The program has begun with some of the poorest residents in Massachusetts signing up for low-cost health insurance.
The Massachusetts law “requires everyone 18 and older to carry health insurance and will use a combination of subsidies and penalties to make coverage more affordable and to encourage people to buy it.” By next July “all Massachusetts residents earning more than three times the federal poverty level will be required to have health insurance — on their own or through work — or face tax penalties.”
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney “used the news conference to press lawmakers to close what they called a ‘loophole'’ in the law that fails to require all children have health insurance.” Lawmakers are claiming “they have already taken steps to expand coverage for children.”
While this program might not be perfect or the exact program for the entire country it is a step in the right direction. Massachusetts will definitely be a testing ground. This country needs to stop making health insurance a privilege and instead make it a right for all citizens.
