Universal Health coverage -- one state at a time

Everyone is predicting that the next two years will be very different, now that the democrats have control of Congress – especially the health care program. If they win in 2008, things will be VERY different. However, states aren't waiting until then to get support from the government regarding healthcare.

According to Wall Street Journal article, "Others Join Maine in Push For Health-Care Change," two years ago, Maine passed into law a universal health-care access program-- and now other states are following suit. The Maine program may have fallen short of its initial goals but the system is currently being reviewed and revised. The important point is that other states such as Massachusetts, Vermont, California, and others have healthcare programs beginning that will offer near-universal or universal health care coverage to its residents. Of course, we all know the state governments are passing these programs mainly to lower the rising health care costs in their budgets – but this also helps its residents.

And yes, it is a good idea for the states to take control of their individual health care costs and not depend fully on the government (as we all know, the federal government tends to move slightly -- ok, very-- slow).

As one research fellow at a Washington think tank said, "the longer he studies the subject, the more convinced he is that states have to customize revisions to their particular needs."