MA Bill Requires Citizens to Purchase Health Insurance

USA Today reports that uninsured individuals who refuse to buy coverage could lose their state tax exemption, which is worth about $150 per person. In subsequent years, those who refuse to buy will pay penalties equal to about half the cost of a health insurance plan.

Free coverage will be provided to individuals at or below the federal poverty line, which is $9,600 a year, and the state will subsidize coverage for those up to three times the federal poverty level, according to the news report.

The bill also mandates a $295 per worker annual assessment on employers who do not provide health care coverage.

Republican Governor Mitt Romney is expected to sign the bill.   “It’s about 95% of what I wanted,” he said.