ABSTRACT
Recent state health care reforms and proposals to cover persons without health insurance have focused on subsidizing health insurance coverage that people buy directly from health insurers, usually referred to as individual (or nongroup) health insurance. In 2006, Massachusetts enacted comprehensive health insurance reform that, among other things, requires individuals to purchase health insurance coverage if they are not otherwise covered (referred to as the “individual mandate”) by July 1, 2007. The success of this effort depends, in part, on the extent to which consumers can make informed purchase decisions.
