Researchers: Health Costs Hurt Bay State Program

Increases in the underlying cost of health care and health coverage could reduce employer support for the Massachusetts health reform program.

Researchers from the Center for Studying Health System Change, Washington, come to that conclusion in a new brief based on interviews with 28 stakeholders.

Massachusetts’ health finance law requires all employers with 11 or more employees to provide health coverage or else pay a $295 annual fee if they do not make a “fair and reasonable” contribution to the cost of workers’ coverage.

Since the law took effect in 2006, 439,000 people have gained coverage.