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July 15, 2008... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, provided opening remarks on Tuesday, July 15, for the official release of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health survey of health care reform law in Massachusetts. The survey, which was compiled as a joint effort between the two institutions, polled Massachusetts citizens on their thoughts and experiences with the two year-old health care reform policy, and its performance in the Commonwealth. “It is important for us to gather the information provided in this survey, for we must recognize the sentiments of Massachusetts citizens as we continue to implement this ambitious reform,” said Sen. Moore, who is also Chairman of the Health Care Financing Committee. “While I am pleased to see a significant amount of support for health care reform in Massachusetts, plenty of work remains to be accomplished to ensure that this remains a sustainable success for our residents.” According to the polling from the survey, over two-thirds of Massachusetts residents (69%) support the health care reform law. Only 22% oppose the law, and 9% say they do not know enough about it to give an opinion. Other signs of public support include that 77% support providing subsidized coverage, 58% support requiring individuals to have insurance, and 71% say the law has been successful at reducing the number of uninsured in Massachusetts. Despite the overall positive numbers, the report shows that the public is divided on whether or not the law is helping the uninsured. 45% feel the law is helping the uninsured, while 33% feel it is hurting them. The report also recognizes that the success of the law at reducing the number of uninsured in the state has created some financial challenges. More people than projected signed up for subsidized coverage through the state, causing the program to be over budget. Despite these financial challenges however, 70% said that the law should be continued, but with some changes, and 14% said it should be continued as it currently stands. The survey was designed and analyzed by a team of Massachusetts researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health with input and review from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation. The survey was approximately 15 minutes in length, with interviews being conducted with 1,015 randomly selected Massachusetts residents, aged 18 and older. All surveys, Harvard and the Foundation report, are subject to a 3.93% sampling era. |
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