Senator Therese Murray: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has taken a historic step forward to providing quality health care to those who are uninsured. We are the first state in the nation, the first of our generation, to change health care as we know it. This legislation is the first of its kind in the nation and is sure to be used as a blueprint as other states look to enact similar reforms.
Senator Rob O’Leary: I am pleased that the Massachusetts state legislature has now passed a comprehensive health care reform package with the goal of covering up to 95 percent of the uninsured within the next three years. This legislation is truly a landmark achievement of which our Commonwealth should be proud. Through expanded eligibility for MassHealth, the creation of a new state-subsidized insurance program, market reforms and new incentives for businesses and individuals to encourage greater responsibility, this bill will significantly increase access to and the affordability of health care insurance. As the number of insured grows, our reliance on the Free Care Pool will decrease as more people have access to necessary preventive care. This bill, the result of many months of hard work by the Legislature, puts Massachusetts at the forefront of implementing innovative solutions to provide health care for all of its citizens.
Jim Lyons, retired President/CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare: The bill is a beginning in solving this issue. It’s great to observe a collection of providers and payers on the same page and agreeing to a common goal. Hats off to the legislative leadership and the governor to be able to achieve this milestone.
Dr. Kathleen Schatzberg, President Cape Cod Community College: I'd say this represents a historic leap forward in the Commonwealth to grapple with the very difficult issue of how to get all of our citizens and residents access to minimally adequate healthcare. The thing we can't know yet is the impact on the economy and jobs.
Arthur F. Bickford, MD: The new health care bill is a step in the right direction in that it increases the number of individuals covered by insurance. Looking at the broader picture of increasing the health of the public this bill does little. Will it stop the exodus of physicians from Cape Cod? No. Will it increase preventive health offered to citizens? No. Will it increase the health of citizen's teeth on Cape Cod? No. Does it deal with preparedness for a pandemic? No. Does it look at some of the public health issues on Cape Cod? No. More is needed, much more. Vote for the initiatives in the towns to study health care for all through a single payer which will be on the ballots in many Cape towns this spring.
Herbert O. Mathewson, MD: The health care insurance bill just passed by the Mass Legislature extends health care insurance to many of the working poor (good), to some currently uncovered children (good), and gently incentivizes small businesses to provide health care coverage for employees (good). This last point was proposed and supported by the Mass Business Roundtable (excellent). The bill begins in a small way to disassociate health care coverage from employment (good), but does so in a particularly cumbersome fashion; fines for individuals who don’t buy health insurance (bad). How will that play out? It calls for State subsidy of private health insurance for needy individuals (good), but will it provide more health security to needy people for less than the REAL cost of a straight, state-based Universal Health Insurance? I don’t know, but I sure wonder. The bill seems like a step in the right direction, and we are always most comfortable with incremental changes in our health care system.
David Penfield, M.D.: My knowledge of the new legislation is limited to what I have read in the paper. I will say that it is laudable that Massachusetts has been able to come up with a system to provide coverage. I am concerned that much of what will happen is simply a shift of the societal burden from one payment source to another. To make health care access universal, it will have to become affordable to both the individual and to our society as a whole. To truly achieve reform, we must get health care providers, insurers, and most importantly every person incentivized to improve health and manage illness in a cost effective manner. We must put resources towards developing healthier lifestyles including exercise, mental health, and attacking the epidemic of obesity. For providers to be incentivized, true tort reform must occur which means abandoning the current liability [malpractice] system in favor of a no fault quality improvement system. Our society will have to make informed choices about limiting coverage to tests and treatments that are demonstrated to be cost effective.
Name Withheld: All of the comments that I could make about this plan are criticisms so I would rather not say anything at this time.
Representative Shirley Gomes: The success of this bill is dependent on the state's ability to develop within the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector affordable plans that individuals and businesses will be able to buy into. Key components are the federal Plan 125, which will be used for pro-rating seasonal and part-time employees, expansion of the Insurance Partnership Program and the Care Program with sliding-scale subsidies.
Stephen L. Abbott, President/CEO Cape Cod Healthcare: Most of us in the health care community applaud this bill as historic. It leads the nation in breadth and scope in taking care of our uninsured population. In Massachusetts, the number of uninsured is estimated to be around 500,000 people and this will provide expanded opportunities for health care coverage. We commend all those who worked so hard to fashion this bill. It will take some time for all of us to totally understand the financial ramifications to patients, providers, employers and insurance companies, but it is a giant step forward in recognizing that health care is a right and not a privilege. If successful, it will serve as a model for the rest of the country and we know that our experience will be widely reported and hopefully, lead others to address this growing challenge.