Low-cost healthcare in Howard County, MD, not an easy sell

Washington Post, February 24, 2009

Officials in Howard County, MD, thought their low-cost healthcare program would be an easy sell in a community where an estimated 15,000 adults are without coverage. But nearly four months later, they are struggling to get people to enroll. Howard is not unique: In Arkansas, a statewide program offering coverage through small businesses has enrolled 5,000 people, even though it can accommodate 10 times as many. In Massachusetts, where health coverage is required by law, more than 167,000 individuals are losing tax benefits because they haven't signed up for insurance.