U.S. health overhaul could penalize Massachusetts

Boston Globe, November 2, 2009

Massachusetts' 2006 healthcare overhaul law provided the model for the national legislation now under construction in Congress. Now state officials are working to make sure the federal proposals do not undermine the state's system, and that Massachusetts is not penalized financially for being first, the Boston Globe reports. Under some versions of the federal legislation, Massachusetts could face pressure to reduce the subsidies it now provides to low- and middle-income residents who get insurance under the state system, a study commissioned by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation found.