...However, one thing sometimes lost in the debate is that Massachusetts has created better health plan competition, said economist Len Nichols, PhD, director of the health policy program at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute. Because health plans can't charge enrollees based on preexisting conditions, the plans now have to compete on other levels, such as getting the best quality care at the best price. "In many ways, they have done the insurance market part right," Dr. Nichols said...

The rest of the country will gain valuable insight from Massachusetts when its mandate and tax penalty are in full effect, Dr. Nichols said. "The good news is they're doing the experiment for us. The bad news is we won't have the experiment finished before the nation debates it in 2009 and 2010."...FULL STORY

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