Do We Love Romneycare?

This month, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the national individual mandate portion of President Obama’s healthcare bill. We’ve had universal healthcare here in Massachusetts since 2006, so how’s it working out for us?

WE PAY LESS:
The growth rate for personal healthcare expenses slowed from 7.4 percent to 4.1 percent after the law took effect, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

WE GO TO THE ER LESS:
Fewer uninsured people means more patients have doctors who catch problems early, according to the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan Washington, DC, think tank.

WE WAIT LONGER:
Now that more of 
us are covered, we have to wait 15 days longer for an appointment — 
an average of 48 days —
 according to the Massachusetts Medical Society. Moreover, about half the state’s internists are 
refusing new patients.