Massachusetts premiums have been higher ever since it embraced insurance reforms market reforms to force insurers to cover pre-existing conditions, and charge everyone the same price. (New Jersey, NY, VT did same thing, had same outcome.) Note that the Obama administration is trying to rebrand ObamaCare as health insurance reform.
What was really interesting about the Massachusetts article is that the growth rate is higher than trend–40% to 33%.
Talk about bending the cost curve in the wrong direction!
One thing the Mass. Plan has taught us is the laws of economics are still valid. That is, it’s easier to give something away than force people to purchase it with their own money (i.e. demand curves are downward sloping). Nearly two-thirds of the newly insured are in the state subsidized plans. Only a small fraction of the newly insured are individuals that actually purchased coverage on their own.
Massachusetts premiums have been higher ever since it embraced insurance reforms market reforms to force insurers to cover pre-existing conditions, and charge everyone the same price. (New Jersey, NY, VT did same thing, had same outcome.) Note that the Obama administration is trying to rebrand ObamaCare as health insurance reform.
What was really interesting about the Massachusetts article is that the growth rate is higher than trend–40% to 33%.
Talk about bending the cost curve in the wrong direction!
One thing the Mass. Plan has taught us is the laws of economics are still valid. That is, it’s easier to give something away than force people to purchase it with their own money (i.e. demand curves are downward sloping). Nearly two-thirds of the newly insured are in the state subsidized plans. Only a small fraction of the newly insured are individuals that actually purchased coverage on their own.
Interesting post on swine flu. And although sad, it’s probably true.