The Massachusetts House of Representatives last week weighed in on "universal health insurance," passing a bill incorporating many of the ideas proposed earlier by the Romney administration and Senate leaders for reducing the number of uninsured. In endorsing a new insurance tax that likely would set back the state's effort to shed its "Taxachusetts" image, the House ventured into perilous territory. The bill passed last week includes a mandate for all residents to obtain health insurance. It also would levy a payroll tax on companies that do not provide health care benefits.
The payroll tax would equal 5 percent of payroll for companies with fewer than 100 employees, 7 percent for larger companies. Make no mistake: The need for reform of health care financing is one issue on which just about everyone in this state agrees. Massachusetts has some 530,000 uninsured residents, many of them the working poor who do not qualify for Medicaid.
The uninsured are not denied health care, but often routine care is delivered inefficiently in emergency rooms - with the costs ultimately borne by employers, employees and taxpayers. The Romney administration and the Senate leadership both have offered thoughtful proposals intended to shrink the number of uninsured by making health insurance more affordable - emphasizing incentives, innovation and competition rather than rigid mandates. Both propose offering lower-cost plans to those who can't afford gold-plated coverage and who do not have access to group rates. A proposed campaign to sign up low-income residents who qualify for Medicaid but are not enrolled would remove thousands more from the ranks of the uninsured.
Massachusetts has been trying to address this highly complex issue for decades. The Dukakis-era fiasco showed that the road to universal health care cannot be paved with good intentions alone. As the debate moves forward, avoiding the mistakes of the past should be the watchword.
The payroll tax would equal 5 percent of payroll for companies with fewer than 100 employees, 7 percent for larger companies. Make no mistake: The need for reform of health care financing is one issue on which just about everyone in this state agrees. Massachusetts has some 530,000 uninsured residents, many of them the working poor who do not qualify for Medicaid.
The uninsured are not denied health care, but often routine care is delivered inefficiently in emergency rooms - with the costs ultimately borne by employers, employees and taxpayers. The Romney administration and the Senate leadership both have offered thoughtful proposals intended to shrink the number of uninsured by making health insurance more affordable - emphasizing incentives, innovation and competition rather than rigid mandates. Both propose offering lower-cost plans to those who can't afford gold-plated coverage and who do not have access to group rates. A proposed campaign to sign up low-income residents who qualify for Medicaid but are not enrolled would remove thousands more from the ranks of the uninsured.
Massachusetts has been trying to address this highly complex issue for decades. The Dukakis-era fiasco showed that the road to universal health care cannot be paved with good intentions alone. As the debate moves forward, avoiding the mistakes of the past should be the watchword.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar