State Leaders Recognize 10-year Anniversary of Universal Healthcare

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Stan Rosenberg issued statements this week in recognition of the 10-year anniversary of universal access to healthcare in Massachusetts.

“Ten years ago, Massachusetts led the country by creating a landmark healthcare coverage law, and today we are pleased that 96.4{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of the state’s population is insured,” Baker said. “Through our state-based marketplace, individuals and families have the ability to choose their best coverage options, and while there is still more work to be done to increase accessibility and transparency for consumers, we have taken many steps in the right direction.”

Added DeLeo, “at the time, I think everyone in the Legislature knew that bill would be a big deal. But it’s amazing to look back at it 10 years later and think about how in hindsight our efforts became the model for the country’s universal healthcare law. In Massachusetts, we often say that we lead the way for the rest of the nation. This bill is proof of that notion.”

Rosenberg noted that “healthcare reform began in Massachusetts 10 years ago and has increased access to high-quality healthcare for our residents. The evolution of its passage serves as a reminder of how cooperation between political parties can produce meaningful public policy that makes a real difference in the lives of millions of people. It now serves as the model for our national healthcare law, which is bringing people, some for the first time in their lives, access to healthcare across the country. As we move forward, our focus now is to bring down costs and produce better outcomes for our residents.”