WBZ NEWSRADIO 1030 - MA sees jump in coverage under landmark health care law

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11:17am EST, 11/22/08

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Posted: Tuesday, 19 August 2008 6:24PM

MA sees jump in coverage under landmark health care law

A.C.

Boston, MA (AP) -- Massachusetts sees a major spike in health insurance coverage while the number of uninsured people, seeking emergency care, has dropped dramatically.

New figures show the number of people getting health insurance grew from 340,000 to 493,000 in the first three months of 2008. Of those, 191,000 people purchased private insurance, 176,000 bought subsidized insurance, and 72,000 people got insured by the government.

When former Governor Mitt Romney signed the landmark bill into law in April 2006, state estimates showed the number of uninsured people in Massachusetts was 400,000.

The state estimated 396,000 people sought free care in 2006. That number has dropped 37 percent, providing state savings of over $30 million dollars.

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