Eat Halloween Candy, Think About Healthcare

While Bostonist and, we imagine, most of the rest of the Commonwealth's population, are thinking about Theo Epstein's departure, our legislature is considering a matter that may well affect us more (and Theo not at all): expanding healthcare coverage. You may recall that back in July, the Governor proposed a healthcare plan that would make purchasing health insurance mandatory for everyone. This idea was roundly panned by commentators, but yesterday, Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi presented a proposal that incorporates some elements of Romney's mandatory coverage, but puts a much larger burden on employers.

The bill (which, we can say after reading it, is no page-turner), departs from the Governor's proposal in that it would require companies with more than ten employees to provide health care or pay a penalty in the form of a percentage tax on their payroll. The Governor's plan puts most of that burden, and a resulting penalty for non-compliance, on individuals. DiMasi's bill does keep the individual requirement, though, for anyone who can afford healthcare but somehow doesn't get it from work or any other source. As best Bostonist could tell, that would apply mostly to people who make a decent salary at small companies or who are self-employed. The penalty for not getting insurance, strangely, is to have 50% of the cost of insurance taken out of your taxes (and if you don't pay, they take your driver's license). (What if you don't drive anyway? Bostonist almost never drives, preferring to ride our bicycle, and we would suggest that health insurance is still very necessary.) Blue Mass. Group has a ton of (left-leaning but thoroughly informative) analysis of the proposal, and they seem to be lukewarm about it. Business groups, not surprisingly, think the plan is apocalyptic. Bostonist hasn't made up our mind yet, and there's always the chance that the affordable healthcare constitutional amendment will be passed, adding more new wrinkles than we care to contemplate just now. As is always the case with legislative matters, stay tuned.