We’ve Seen The Future Of Health Care & It’s Massachusetts

April 12, 2006 – "Romneycare" launches in Massachusetts and, whether intended or not, becomes the blueprint for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , affectionately (or not) known as Obamacare. I was reminded of the similarities – and the challenges – in a recent article by James Cronin in his piece, Exporting Romneycare, in The Boston Globe.

On the challenges to making the national version of Massachusetts' model work, he said, "Reform in Massachusetts worked because of three main initiatives: the individual mandate, which requires people to buy insurance or risk fines; the subsidies that help low- and middle-income people pay . . .