Massachusetts Businesses prove critics Wrong on Health Care Reform

Fears that businesses in Massachusetts would stop providing employee health insurance because publicly subsidized insurance is available are unfounded, according to a new report from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Two years after Massachusetts enacted its landmark health-care reform; four out of five Massachusetts businesses provide health-care coverage to their employees, increasing from 73 percent in spring 2007 to 79 percent in spring 2008. This law has resulted in over 439,000 people getting insurance coverage since the plan started! The state’s health-care reform act was enacted in April 2006. To ensure that all of the state’s residents have health insurance, the state expanded its Medicaid program; established a sliding-fee scale for insurance; required residents to purchase health insurance if affordable coverage is available; and required employers with 10 or more workers to contribute to their employees’ coverage or pay into a state fund. There’s been concern that employers would stop providing coverage to their workers and opt to pay into the state fund, but this new report shows that didn’t happen. This is good news for advocates pushing for public/private reform strategies. Carol Regan Director Health Care for Healthcare Workers