Healthcare coverage now mandatory

As of today, nearly everyone in Massachusetts must have health insurance or face a series of increasing tax penalties.

The law won’t result in universal coverage immediately, but the deadline is a critical mile marker. “July 1 is really a call to action,” said Leslie Kirwan, chairwoman of the Health Care Connector Authority board, which oversees implementation of the law. “We are looking to insure people, not penalize them.”

Those living below the poverty level are eligible for free care; those making somewhat more can choose from subsidized programs; those with higher incomes who are not already covered by employer plans can choose from new lower-cost private plans.

Massachusetts’ healthcare experiment could spur or slow healthcare reform efforts nationally depending on its success or failure, said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health policy.