The Law Designed to Protect Your Health
You've learned about how health care can help you stay healthy. It's so important, that in Massachusetts coverage is now required by law—it's called the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law.
What Is the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law?
In April 2006, Massachusetts enacted the health care reform law, which requires nearly all adults in the state to have health insurance. While there are tax penalties for those who don't have insurance, the law was created to help make sure everyone in Massachusetts has access to high quality, affordable health care. One way the law helps make sure health insurance is available to everyone is through the Commonwealth Connector, which offers the following programs:
- Commonwealth Care, providing free or low-cost coverage for people whose incomes fall within certain guidelines
- Commonwealth Choice, providing a range of options for health coverage, including low-cost plans, from six health insurance providers
Under the Massachusetts health care reform law, you can also buy directly from health insurers. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts offers more than 40 health insurance plans. For help selecting a plan, visit us online at
www.getbluema.com.