Massachusetts Officials Recommend Universal Health Insurance Law Revisions

Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector officials on Thursday recommended revisions to the state's health insurance law, the Boston Globe reports. Under the recommendations, insurance companies would be able to limit lifetime benefits for plans, despite concern from some Connector board members that those limits could restrict access to care. Connector officials also recommended keeping a provision in the law that requires all plans to cover prescription drugs, which would mean that more than 86,000 insured residents would have to purchase additional coverage. In addition, officials recommended preserving regulations that would require 164,000 additional insured individuals to upgrade their coverage to meet minimum requirements for comprehensive basic insurance. Connector officials also recommended that the new regulations be phased in to allow employers more time to upgrade health coverage they offer to their employees. While employers will not be required to upgrade coverage, the Globe reports that state officials expect many of them to do so to retain workers. Jon Kingsdale, executive director of the Connector, said it likely would take at least one year for employers to make necessary changes to employee health plans. Last week, Kingsdale recommended that the board change the deadline from July 1 until Sept. 1, 2008, for complying with the minimum coverage requirements. Residents still would be required to obtain insurance by July 1 or pay a penalty of about $200. However, under the proposed extension, residents for the first year could purchase any coverage that meets existing state and federal regulations.

Prescription Drug Coverage
The Connector also is developing another proposal that would allow insurers to provide drug coverage only for drugs that are considered necessary to prevent illness or treat chronic illnesses. Kingsdale said the recommendation to require drug coverage stemmed from the feeling "that drugs have become so important to medical care that it seems anachronistic to exclude them." The Connector board on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on the recommendations, and Kingsdale said he would present the board with other possible deadlines for complying with provisions of the law (Dembner, Boston Globe, 3/16).

Opinion Pieces
The Boston Globe recently published two opinion pieces related to the Massachusetts health insurance law. Summaries appear below.
John Kingsdale, Boston Globe: Recently approved health insurance plans for Massachusetts residents "are far better and more affordable than any plan uninsured individuals can purchase right now," Kingsdale writes in a Boston Globe opinion piece. According to Kingsdale, Massachusetts is "delivering more insurance for lower premiums" because the state is "expanding the pool of people with insurance" to "drive down" costs for everyone and "the Connector is increasing competition among health plans," which is "creating choices that didn't exist before." In addition, Kingsdale writes, "Massachusetts is expected to become the first state to phase in a requirement that all plans offer prescription drug coverage." He concludes, "Once Massachusetts takes this step it will have guaranteed a level of health security unprecedented" in the U.S. (Kingsdale, Boston Globe, 3/19).

Thomas Wroe, Boston Globe: "If Massachusetts is serious about leading the nation on health care reform, we must expend as much effort on decreasing cost as increasing access," Wroe, chair of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, writes in a Globe opinion piece. Wroe writes that the state's current law "does not take on costs directly, but by extending insurance coverage to every citizen, it lays important groundwork for further steps." He adds, "There are things we ought not to do to control cost, such as rationing, but there are things we can do, ranging from developing a rational health care delivery system with properly aligned incentives, transparency and electronic medical records to tiered networks, which encourage consumers to seek medical care in the most cost effective settings." According to Wroe, "Failure" to develop health care cost containment strategies will have "serious consequences, not just for the recently passed law, but also for our economic future and the well-being" of Massachusetts (Wroe, Boston Globe, 3/16).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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