Demand for safety-net care remains high in Massachusetts

Massachusetts, whose 2006 healthcare overhaul provided a template for the landmark national law signed by President Obama last year, has already demonstrated that it is possible to achieve almost universal health coverage. Now, the trailblazing state is providing another clue about what may happen when the federal government begins guaranteeing health insurance for all citizens starting in 2014. Massachusetts community health centers and so-called safety-net hospitals – originally created to serve the poor and uninsured – have seen no let-up in demand, even after the state's reforms, according to new research published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.