MD may require residents to buy health coverage

It's common, if not universal, for states to make drivers buy auto insurance, and most people are used to doing so. But forcing citizens to buy health insurance is much more controversial. That hasn't stopped Maryland regulators from floating a proposal to do just that, however, taking aim at the state's approximately 740,000 uninsured residents--a group which currently costs the state about $1.8 billion per year in direct costs. The Maryland Health Care Commission has drafted a plan requiring workers to buy any health plan offered by a health insurance exchange, a system allowing them to keep the same coverage easily when moving from job to job. Employers would pay much of the premium cost, but the program would subsidize low-income worker contributions for those who couldn't afford their share. (For some reason, the current plan excludes large employers from these requirements.)

If the plan moves forward, Maryland would join Massachusetts as one of the pioneers in mandating universal health insurance buy-in. The plan is in its early stages, however, as no one is yet sure how big subsidies would be, what penalties people who don't buy insurance would pay and how premiums would be set.

Get more background on Maryland's proposal:
- read this piece in The Baltimore Sun

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