What They Think in Massachusetts (about HealthCare Reform)

Discount most of what you hear from Republican critics about the alleged failures of health care reform in Massachusetts, the template for the national reform law. The people who should know best — residents of Massachusetts — have just given their state’s reform law, which was enacted in 2006, a strong vote of confidence.

A poll by the Harvard School of Public Health and The Boston Globe found that 63 percent of the residents supported the state reforms, up 10 percentage points from 2009. Only 21 percent opposed it. Support varied by party, with 77 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans supporting the law.

The element of the reform law that is most vilified in political discourse — a mandate that most people buy insurance or pay a fine — lost popularity over the past three years. Even so, 51 percent of Massachusetts residents still supported the mandate while 44 percent opposed it.

As for their actual medical care, there were remarkably few complaints. Among those polled who had heard of the law, only small percentages, ranging from 13 percent to 17 percent, said the law is hurting the quality of care they receive, lengthening the time it takes to get a doctor’s appointment or harming their ability to pay medical bills. However, 30 percent said the reforms had driven up the cost of their own care and 20 percent blamed the law for driving up health care costs throughout the state. The most important takeaway from the poll is that after five years of real-life experience, support for reform in Massachusetts is strong and growing stronger. Support for the national reform is apt to follow the same trajectory.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/opinion/10fri4.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211