Small Biz Health Care Daily: Massachusetts Bad Example for the Nation

An August 22 Boston Globe report noted: “Massachusetts has the most expensive family health insurance premiums in the country, according to a new analysis that highlights the state’s challenge in trying to rein in medical costs after passage of a landmark 2006 law that mandated coverage for nearly everyone. The report by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit health care foundation, showed that the average family premium for plans offered by employers in Massachusetts was $13,788 in 2008, 40 percent higher than in 2003. Over the same period, premiums nationwide rose an average of 33 percent.”

Raymond J. Keating, chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, points out:

“Massachusetts just keeps providing information showing that more government mandates, regulations and programs in health care do not work. We’ve seen that taxpayer costs have skyrocketed, and now data shows that Massachusetts’ health insurance costs are highest in the nation. Given this economic reality, why in the world are our national elected officials so keen on following the Massachusetts example, including an individual mandate to purchase or have health insurance, or a ‘pay or play’ mandate on business?”