Today marks a milestone on the nation's
long march toward universal health coverage: the launch of online marketplaces,
called exchanges, designed to help people find insurance they can afford.
It's an idea pioneered by Massachusetts seven years ago. People here
call their program a success, and say the state's exchange was an indispensable
factor.
Those involved since those working in
low-wage jobs who will qualify for an expansion of MassHealth the beginning say the Massachusetts health insurance exchange,
called the Connector, was the brainchild of former Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican.
Glen Shor, who once ran the Connector
and is now the state's secretary of administration and finance, is confident
that the nation will follow Massachusetts' lead.
"As the [federal] law begins to be
implemented," Shor says, "people will see and feel its positive
effects. They'll be able to see through some of the rhetoric and spin."
When the Connector opened for business in late 2006, people signed
up much faster than projected. Within a year there were
367,000 newly insured citizens.
"Enrollment was fast," Shor
says. "One of the clear lessons of the Massachusetts experience is that
people want affordable health insurance."
Today, 97 percent of the state's 6.6
million people have it — the highest coverage rate of anywhere in America.
And Shor says Obamacare will bring
another 45 000 new people into the fold —, the state's Medicaid program.
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