Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Not a Likely Model For Nation

The recent law requiring all Massachusetts residents to have health insurance coverage is not likely to work as a model for other states, or the nation as a whole. Massachusetts is uniquely situated - their uninsurance rate (10%) is significantly lower than the nationwide average (18%). Also, they have already appropriated $500 million towards uncompensated care for the uninsured - money that could be easily redirected to providing coverage to the uninsured populations. Other states which do not have such appropriations would face the task of raising the money for such an undertaking, which would be extremely difficult.

However, other less-known provisions of the Massachusetts law may work in other jurisdictions. For example, Massachusetts has combined individual and small group policies into one pool which can offer more lower-cost options. Also, the Massachusetts insurance mandate has gained a great deal of attention politically - other state governments will be sure to examine it closely to see how it could be adapted to work in their state.