Legislature Finishes with Healthcare, Turns to Hoops

Remember a month ago when Bostonist told you that the legislature had finally hammered out a compromise healthcare bill? Well, they actually finally passed it into law today. As expected, the bill will require everyone in the Commonwealth to obtain healthcare, somehow, and would force employers with more than ten employees who don't provide healthcare to pay a yearly assessment of $295 per uninsured employee. Legislative leaders and the governor predictably patted themselves on the back for their groundbreaking work, then moved on to the more lighthearted work of issuing proclamations recognizing the latest inductees to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The full text of the wicked-long bill, which unfortunately contains the word "proactive" (which Bostonist hates), can be found here. A shorter, not-so-substantive-but-very-upbeat, Powerpoint-type summary prepared by the Legislature can be found here (.pdf). The Basketball Hall of Fame can be found in Springfield.

Photo: House Speaker Sal DiMasi, suffused with confidence after passing a healthcare bill, shows visiting Basketball Hall of Fame inductees that he, too, can handle the rock. OK, not really.