The drive for universal health care in the United States is heating up. More articles and shows on the topic are appearing in the media; more organizations are being formed to tout different plans; and corporations and various interest groups are starting to spend big money running ads for their favorite legislation. You cannot guess what the plans include from the title of the programs and the organizations.

The LWVA HCC suggests asking four questions about any health proposal you are considering. (These can be found on the Physicians for a National Health Plan website.)

Let's ask these four questions about The MA Health Care Reform Act of 2006 (Chapter 58).

  1. Is it universal?
    No. The Connector Board, set up to ensure all MA residents have health insurance admits that 62,000 people in the state are uninsured because they cannot afford to pay for health insurance. We do not have universal health care in MA.
  2. Is it comprehensive - do all residents have quality coverage?
    No. Chapter 58 left in place the private health insurance market. Employees are often stuck with inadequate health insurance plans. The result is many residents in the Commonwealth are paying for insurance plans that limit certain procedures, have costly co-pays and/or have low caps and ceilings.
  3. How much is it going to cost individuals and families?
    The average family of four in MA pays $14,000 - $16,000 annually for health insurance. That is the highest in the nation. Chapter 58 has no effect on bringing down those costs. The Connector Board approved private insurance policies for MA residents of low income (151% - 300% of the Federal Poverty Guideline) that have deductibles, premiums and co-pays that dissuade people from going for preventive health care visits and seeking timely medical attention.
  4. How much is Chapter projected to cost overall? Will our cities and towns be able to afford it?
    The original projections of cost were woefully underestimated. As of July, 2008, reports the state the Commonwealth needs an additional $140 million to cover rising health costs. Recently, the Connector Board has resorted to increasing charges on the lowest income household for state approved plans. Our cities and towns are still groaning under the pressure of increased health care costs.

Chapter 58 strikes out on all four questions.

Next month, we will use these four questions to compare a few of the national plans.