In which MA is confused.

Massachusetts is making it mandatory for it's residents to have health insurance. On the surface? Could potentially be a step in the right direction.

Only they're not going to regulate the cost of health insurance any more than they already do.

If you can't prove on your tax return that you have coverage, you'll lose a $219 exemption. Businesses not offering insurance will have to pay $295/employee.

Those who do not qualify for subsidies and cannot get coverage through their jobs can buy low-cost but unsubsidized health plans offered by private insurers through the Connector under the Commonwealth Choice program. Premiums go up with age, but people cannot be charged more if they are sick or be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition.

This is the problem. The people who suffer the most aren't the absolute poorest. There are options for those at the absolute bottom of the financial scale - not good options, but options. But then you get a group of people who aren't quite poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, but simply can't afford normal insurance premiums, even the low-cost programs (which, no doubt, have incredibly high deductibles and provide absolute bare-bones coverage).

Health care in this country is such a mess, and watching ourselves try to fix it is like watching a car accident in slow motion, over and over again.