Like Fine Wine, Massachusetts Health Reform Law Gets Better with Age

Support for the Massachusetts universal health reform law is increasing in the Commonwealth, according to a poll conducted by Harvard School of Public Health and The Boston Globe featured in yesterday’s Globe. The poll results showed a 10% increase in support from two years ago, now reporting 63% in favor of the 2006 reform law and only 21% against the law. Another important finding was that even with recent criticisms of rising health costs in Massachusetts, which are now the highest per capita in the nation, when asked about the high costs of health care in MA, 72% of those polled believed the increase is due to factors other than the universal health care law, such as overall medical inflation.

Though residents have increased overall support for the law, the provision of the law that requires residents to purchase insurance if they can afford it (or pay a fine) now faces 44% opposition, up from 35% in 2008. On a positive note, a narrow majority (51%) still supports this provision. In addition, less than 20% of respondents believed that the law is hurting quality of health care, the ability to pay for health care services, or the time it takes to see a doctor. For full results of this report, click here.

What does this mean for Massachusetts and the nation? Big change will always have its critics, and as this poll demonstrates, such change needs time to simmer with some before it gains their support. Even with highly publicized rising health care costs in Massachusetts, most residents attribute the increases to factors other than the law and are able to realize the benefits of universal coverage and what it means for us all. Support from Massachusetts residents for universal coverage will help to keep improving our health care system, and continued consumer involvement will help to create a system that delivers quality, patient-centered care- something we can all agree to. In addition, increasing favorability of the health care law in Massachusetts can foreshadow trends in national favorability as more provisions are set in place by the Affordable Care Act.

-Amelia Russo