title: The Massachusetts health insurance law: providing health insurance to all.
abstract: There have been increasing rates of uninsured patients in the United States over the past few decades. Despite this growing problem, little progress has been made to decrease the rate of growth of uninsured patients or to provide affordable insurance coverage to those who are unable to maintain insurance coverage throughout the year. The legislature in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has enacted legislation that requires health insurance for all in the same manner that automobile insurance is required in many states. This bold comprehensive legislation augments current Medicaid and state child health insurance program coverage and expands coverage options for part-time workers, those employed by small companies or those employed at lower-income jobs.
authors.affiliation: Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Department of Medicine, Section of Nephrology and Hypertension, 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-45, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. mkleinp@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Myra A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kleinpeter
mesh_terms: D015438:Health Behavior; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008404:Massachusetts; D008484:Medicaid; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D013221:State Health Plans / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States; D019472:Universal Health Insurance / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*