The medical reform that the state of Massachusetts enacted in 2006 is the model on which ObamaCare socialized medicine is based. But Massachusetts has been beset by cost overruns and other troubles since its reforms took effect – which does not inspire confidence about the effects of ObamaCare on our nation as a whole.
And now the “Massachusetts model” is again giving us an unhappy preview of what we can expect from Obama-Care.
Supporters of the Massachusetts law boast that it has increased health insurance coverage. But medical “coverage” and medical “access” aren’t the same thing.
Recently, the Massachusetts Medical Society conducted a survey to find out whether residents of the state are able to get doctor appointments in a timely fashion. The findings were troubling. Most family physicians and internists in Massachusetts are now refusing to accept new patients. And even when a new patient can get an appointment, the typical wait time to see a family doctor is more than a month. The average wait time to see an internist is more than a month and a half.
If Massachusetts’ program is having such serious problems at the state level, how do we think ObamaCare will avoid similar problems at the national level, since it is based on the Massachusetts law? It’s unfortunate that these matters were not carefully considered before Democrats made ObamaCare the law of the land.