Health Care For All In Massachusetts?

(CBS)  When Massachusetts' experiment with universal health care began this year, one thing it did was save Henry Murphy's life. After developing heart trouble last year, he lost his job and his insurance.

"They threw me to the wolves, and I thought that was wrong," he said.

But now, under the new law, everyone must have health insurance. Henry qualified for state-subsidized coverage just in time.

"Do I have it right? Henry may have been on the street, essentially, uninsurable, without the Commonwealth plan?" asks CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews.

"Absolutely. Not only that, he might not be here anymore," says Dr. Soma Stout of the Cambridge Health Alliance.

Out of 400,000 uninsured residents last year, around 170,000 now have insurance. But the gap of 230,000 that remains includes some 130,000 young adults, most of them middle-income men who must pay for their premiums and either don't want it or can't afford it.

That's why before every Red Sox game, beside the hot dogs and hamburgers, the state is pitching health care, aiming the pitch in person and up on Fenway Park's big screen at young men.

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Andrews Blogs: Finding Health Care Under The Bleachers

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It's a tough sell because one of the cheapest family plans available, unsubsidized, with drug coverage, is $662 a month. When Andrews talked to contractor Roger Thompson, there was no way.

"I have no choice. It would be like another mortgage payment for my family and I can't afford that," he said.

Health care advocate John McDonough, the executive director of Health Care For All, praises the state for a good start, but says the gap in affordability has to be filled.

"It's a tough sell because this is a group of people who've never purchased insurance on their own," he says. "It's going to be a challenge for us to make sure that policy evolves to provide an affordable option for those folks."

What's truly new about this bold experiment is that it's not voluntary. Everyone has to buy health insurance or face a penalty on their taxes. But what they already know is that "universal" health in Massachusetts won't quite be universal, for now. It's as if the game has started, but many of the fans haven't arrived.

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Clarification: This story was updated on Aug. 27 to reflect that the $662 a month plan is just one of the cheapest available. The cost varies by location, age and income.

[condumism]

Article is a perfect example of the FAILED GOVERNORSHIP in Mass. of Mitt Romney, who is clearly a wholly owned GOPig controlled by CORPRORATE AMERICA! In otherwords, Mitty espouses more of the same for America, the GOPigs "ownership society," which has proven time and again to be a complete failure for the vast majority of Americans.

[kaelinda]

Mandatory. Pay up or move out. Come to West Virginia. I''m not sure we even HAVE a government here!

[donnie900]

Makes sense healthcare is a constitutional right since education is a federal mandate. And education is directly linked to a person''s health.

And besides that fact, all that money republicans just gave away to a foreign country being a "superpower".. there''s no right for our own citizens to have healthcare? Or is there just no more money left for it?

[DrColes]

No one is entitled to healthcare. Healthcare is NOT a constitutional right. If we want it, we have to pay for it. Notwithstanding, we have a healthcare problem in the U.S. and we MUST fix it. What are the problems? Please see http://www.inteliorg.com/healthcare_issue.html

[erasmus6]

"If we had universal health care run by the federal Government it would be just like it is now no control and cut in service. posted by gpien

That is because you have a corrupt government.

I don''t know what your country classifies universal healthcare as, but I''m thinking it must be way different than ours. Our system works great. Everybody gets the best of care and it doesn''t cost $622 a month!

[yohnvilson]

I''m self-employed and live in Mass., and I''ve been paying all my health care expenses out of my own pocket for years. The idea that I should be penalized for that as if I''m somehow a leech on society, is absolute insanity. Well this year the tax penalty is much less than insurance would cost, but next year they''re going to really stick it to me (so essentially I''ll be paying for insurance without getting it). WHY? What am I costing them? They assume that every uninsured person goes crying to the state when they get sick so they want to punish those of us who take responsibility for our own problems. Thanks a lot Mitt.

[oakishpines]

'' ...

had a million dollars wanted ten million, not one million dollar film, or 1000 $1000,
but 100 million kids with free medical you are here map song dance skit kits, to make a hundred million dollars for nothing

me verse the world i deserve 99%, the world occupys 99% space time so deserves 99%, so 50% / 50% may be rational and equitable shareing of my market share

210 million represents the richest 3% with over 95% of wealth, poverty lines range $2 to $60 each work day, so giving to 440 to 730,000 each workday for tips of a penny to a dollar from 1/2 % to 11 % of folk marketed to


6 or 10 billion folk is 90,000 counties of 90,000 folk is 300 trail groups of 300 folk, girls get bored and move each 20 seconds to 20 nminutes so i not call them communities?)

$12,000 per year poverty line will buy $60,000 of 2500 sf land and 340 sf home

2500 sqft (50 ft x 50 ft) is 200 lineal feet perimeter, 2.2 to 3650 ''grapes'' per lineal foot (grapes as example or seaweed / algae song / dance art / craft wutever)


... if only 2500 square feet could float like some kind of spore bloom weed dragon tinkering densitys and surface areas and such ...


trails of life is more like kindergarten class, what do you like what do you want to do this that ok well show you how now like this now like that now like this now like that

... ''

[condumism]

Mitt Romney''s universal health care plan is to deregulate insuance comapnies so thay can charge more, and deny more claims than they do today. Alot of braindead Neocons, Mitty''s base, think this man is very inspirational and full of great ideas. These are the same pigs that voted twice for GOPigs GW Bush.

[nothappyatall]

"family mostly cannot afford unless you give up food, car & life insurance, automobile, or else get penalized by the state at tax time. WOW..."

Easiest way to avoid a state law you don''t like, is; DON''T LIVE IN MASS! don''t move there, move out if you do live there now.

[gpieh]

If you want to get control over health care every community has to have control over there own just like they have over schools and police and fire. There is too maney hands in the pot and it is almost impossible to stop all the fraud that is going on.Also this way they will have all the data to determine the true cost of health care.If we had universal health care run by the federal Goverment it would be just like it is now no control and cut in service.