Massachusetts lawmakers enact plan for universal health coverage
{{date|April 7, 2006}}
Legislators in the [[w:Massachusetts|Massachusetts]] [[w:Massachusetts General Court|General Court]], their name for the [[w:state legislature|state legislature]], approved legislation on Tuesday, April 4, that would make it the first state in the [[w:United States|United States]] to require all residents to have [[w:health insurance|health insurance]] and impose penalties for non-compliance.  Massachusetts Governor [[w:Mitt Romney|Mitt Romney]], a Republican who is expected to [[w:United States presidential election, 2008|run for U.S. President in 2008]], is expected to sign the bill.

The bill passed the [[w:lower house|lower house]], the [[w:Massachusetts House of Representatives|Massachusetts House of Representatives]] by a vote of 155-2, and unanimously by the [[w:Massachusetts Senate|state senate]].  The Democratic Party holds [[w:supermajority|supermajorities]] in both houses of the legislature.

Among the bill's provisions are these:
# Businesses that employ more than 10 people are required to provide health insurance for all staff or face fines of $295 per year per uninsured worker.
# Individuals will be required to enroll in a health plan by July 1, 2007, or face tax penalties.
# Health insurers will provide partially to fully subsidized coverage for low-income residents.

At least one other state ([[w:Hawaii|Hawaii]]) requires employers to provide employee health insurance, but no other state holds individuals accountable for coverage.

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=11751812&src=rss/ElectionCoverage|title=Mass. lawmakers approve ambitious health care plan|author=Belinda Yu|pub=Reuters|date=April 4, 2006}}

[[Category: Health]]
[[Category: North America]]
[[Category: United States]]
[[Category: Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Mitt Romney]]
[[Category:Republican Party (United States)]]
[[Category:Democratic Party (United States)]]

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Legislators in the Massachusetts General Court, their name for the state legislature, approved legislation on Tuesday, April 4, that would make it the first state in the United States to require all residents to have health insurance and impose penalties for non-compliance.  Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican who is expected to run for U.S. President in 2008, is expected to sign the bill.

The bill passed the lower house, the Massachusetts House of Representatives by a vote of 155-2, and unanimously by the state senate.  The Democratic Party holds supermajorities in both houses of the legislature.

Among the bill's provisions are these:
# Businesses that employ more than 10 people are required to provide health insurance for all staff or face fines of $295 per year per uninsured worker.
# Individuals will be required to enroll in a health plan by July 1, 2007, or face tax penalties.
# Health insurers will provide partially to fully subsidized coverage for low-income residents.

At least one other state (Hawaii) requires employers to provide employee health insurance, but no other state holds individuals accountable for coverage.
 Health  North America  United States  Massachusetts Mitt Romney Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States)