Doctors, researchers slam MA reforms as national model

While the Obama Administration has praised Massachusetts healthcare reforms, some physicians there aren't so thrilled with how things are working out--and they're urging the administration to reconsider using them as a model for national change.

A group of 500 state physicians have sent a letter to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) decrying a 2006 reform measure that requires most residents to buy health coverage and subsidizes coverage for those who can't afford health plan premiums. The group, which argues that reforms including private insurers add layers of bureaucracy and don't control costs, would like to see a "Medicare-for-all" type reform put in place.

Meanwhile, an analysis by three Harvard Medical School physicians has concluded that state data showing that all but 2.6 percent of state residents are insured may be flawed. Their research suggests that the number is 5 percent or more. Also, they contend that the new law has generated unaffordable out-of-pocket costs for lower- and middle-class residents, especially the chronically ill.

To learn more about the critiques:
- read this Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report item [1]

Related Articles:
Doctor shortage slows Massachusetts health reform [2]
MA health reformers slash insurance rates [3]