The Facts On Massachusetts Health Reform – Health Affairs Blog:
Last Thursday’s Republican Presidential Debate in Florida included a lively, but not always accurate, exchange on health reform in Massachusetts. In particular, Senator Santorum reported that one in four Massachusetts residents were going without needed care because of high costs; he also implied that the share of residents choosing to pay the fine for failing to comply with the individual mandate, and the share of residents who were free riders on the system, were serious problems in the state. None of that is true.
My colleagues and I have been tracking health reform in Massachusetts since 2006, with a summary of our most recent findings published in Health Affairs last week. As we report, Massachusetts continues to show strong gains in insurance coverage, access to care, and self-reported health status under reform, all important goals of the state’s 2006 legislation. Currently residents of the Bay State enjoy the highest level of insurance coverage in the nation, with most of that coverage provided through their jobs, as it was before health reform. As Governor Romney noted, a majority of Massachusetts residents continue to support the state’s reform efforts.
Contrary to Senator Santorum’s claims, very few residents of the state are “free riders” on the health care system in Massachusetts, moving in and out of coverage as they need care
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