Today, Massachussets leads the nation with 96% of its residents covered by insurance and the employer-based insurance system remains intact. Three years ago, Massachusetts passed the most sweeping healthcare bill in the country, adopting a plan that closely resembles the proposals being considered by Congress. But cost pressures are pushing premiums up for the citizens of the Bay State. Because Massachusetts ducked the issues of cost control the state still has some of the most expensive health care in the United States and costs are rising faster than the national average.
The cost curve still hasn't been bent as was the goal of the Obama plan.
The Massachusetts system, like the proposals moving toward votes in the House and Senate, focused on three goals: making medical insurance almost universal, fostering competition through a regulated insurance exchange, and helping low-income workers pay for coverage.
...health insurance premiums for most residents are going up, not down. Many middle-class people who had insurance before the overhaul see little change -- except that they're spending more and seeing little or no change in the quality of their care.
Beyond what it's meant to particular individuals, the overall cost of the program has soared -- for the state and for individuals.
Then there is the problem of under-insurance -- coverage by budget-minded plans that have high deductibles and leave consumers with a much larger share of their medical bills than the more-expensive plans.
Lessons from the Massachusetts healthcare experiment
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