NJ Voters Take Heed: Be Wary of Presidential Candidates Touting Universal ...( Massachusetts Model is ...),Health

Massachusetts Model is Most Expensive in Nation

BOUND BROOK, N.J., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New Jerseyans heading to the polls tomorrow should carefully consider, among other issues, a Presidential candidate's position on universal healthcare. In Massachusetts, where a healthcare program similar to a universal healthcare plan has been in effect since 2005, employers are continuing to spend more annually than other U.S. states for health insurance on a per employee basis.

The Massachusetts healthcare model requires nearly every resident to buy health insurance. The plan is certain to garner more attention this spring as penalties for companies and employees who have not yet signed up go into effect in April.

While the plan is being scrutinized as a potential model upon which to build a universal healthcare solution in the U.S. and appeals to many residents because of its comprehensiveness and relatively low cost, employers are struggling to pay for the high healthcare plan costs, according to United Benefit Advisors (UBA), one of the nation's leading independent employee benefits advisory organizations.

"The Massachusetts model is the closest concept to a national healthcare plan that we have today, and some presidential candidates in various ways have touted that model as the foundation of their healthcare platform," said Scott Rappoport, President of Benefit Sources & Solutions, a charter member of UBA. "Plans offered by employers in Massachusetts are in reality costing a fortune. During this time, when presidential candidates are debating best practices to solve the nation's healthcare crisis, NJ voters and all Americans must carefully contemplate what is being proposed and weigh their decisions extremely carefully."

UBA has recently released results of its latest national benchmarking survey, the 2007 UBA Health Plan Survey, a far-reaching industry analysis of employer healthcare plan design and cost. C
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