Massachusetts Offers Health Insurance Lessons
<p>Massachusetts has a new law that requires all Bay State residents to have health insurance and expands access to coverage. In her May "From the President" column, Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis writes that while we ultimately need a national solution, Massachusetts's actions potentially hold lessons for every state.<br><br>In <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=21998&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Faboutus%2Faboutus%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D368417%26%23doc368417">Providing Health Insurance for All: What We Can Learn from Massachusetts</a>, Davis writes that the Massachusetts plan "is grounded in the idea that individuals, employers, and government must share responsibility for health insurance." By using this shared model, other states will increase their chances of developing successful coverage strategies that meet the needs of their populations.<br><br>Providing such coverage will allow states to help their residents avoid medical debt, get preventive care, and better manage their chronic conditions--and help the health care system provide more efficient care.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2006/may/massachusetts-offers-health-insurance-lessons