More than 200,000 previously uninsured residents have enrolled, but state officials estimate that at least that number, and perhaps twice as many, have not.So, let's recap. The idea behind requiring everyone to have health care coverage is to do the following:
Those managing the enrollment effort say it has exceeded expectations. In particular, state-subsidized insurance packages offered to low-income residents have been so popular that the program’s spending may exceed its budget by nearly $150 million.
But the reluctance of so many to enroll, along with the possible exemption of 60,000 residents who cannot afford premiums, has raised questions about whether even a mandate can guarantee truly universal coverage.
Additional concerns have been generated by projections that the state’s insurers plan to raise rates 10 percent to 12 percent next year, twice this year’s national average. That would undercut the plan’s secondary goal of slowing the increase in health costs.
- ensure health care for everyone, especially people who weren't previously covered
- lower costs
When Massachusetts implemented just such a plan, here's what they got:
- many people still haven't signed up
- costs are continuing to increase (even though everyone is not yet covered)
In addition, what's going to happen to all the people who haven't signed up when the deadline passes? Is the State of Massachusetts going to start throwing people in jail for not buying insurance? Right now they're just hitting people with fines, but will it stop there? No one is really talking about that, but I'm really interested to know.
This is exactly what people predicted would happen if universal health care was forced onto people. Just think what would happen if this kind of plan was implemented all across America! This is what you get when you allow the government too much power over our every day lives.
There's my two cents.
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