| |||||||||
July 15, 2008Poll: More than 2/3 of Massachusetts residents support health reform law |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Two years after the implementation of a health care reform law aimed at providing health coverage for nearly all Massachusetts residents, public support for the law remains high. According to a new poll by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, over two-thirds (69%) of Massachusetts residents support the law. In the two years since the law's passage, approximately 350,000 Massachusetts residents have gained health insurance coverage. A majority of the public support this individual mandate (58%) while slightly over one-third oppose it (35%). Support for the mandate has also increased slightly since the law was passed (58% in 2008 compared to 57% in 2007 and 52% in 2006). Another key component of the law is providing free or subsidized coverage for Massachusetts residents whose incomes fall below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level ($63,600 for a family of four or $31,200 for an individual). The poll finds that the public is aware of the law's success at reducing the number of uninsured in the state with 14% saying the law has been very successful and 57% somewhat successful. This compares to 13% who feel small businesses are being helped or not impacted (19%). Just over two-thirds (67%) say the law is not having much impact on them personally compared to 14% who feel they are being helped and 18% being hurt. In addition, most people do not believe that the law has caused their health care costs to increase.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
