Massachusetts Health Care Costs Make Bay State Living Difficult

Boston, Massachusetts, May 15 -- Hot air has been blowing every which way about what 2008's presidential candidates might do with the United States' crisis in health care. The residents of Massachusetts are holding an especially attentive ear to the waves of rhetoric coming from the podium.

One former candidates, Mitt Romney, instituted the country's first comprehensive health care policies during his gubernatorial term in Massachusetts. Probably his most touted accomplishment while holding office, this law has been embraced by some and despised by many. Fees and penalties await those who cannot afford health insurance, and those who would chose to forgo a traditional health insurance plan will be penalized even further.

The fact is that few people in the world would wish to not be insured in case of any major or minor health issues were to befall them. The actual cost of the plans and the rather limited coverage provided by many providers has been the major deterrent for individuals to pursue health coverage. Like gasoline prices, the costs continually go up with little, if any, relief in sight while staying on the traditional course.

Also thanks to a notoriously steep tax rate, Massachusetts has become increasingly hostile for prospective businesses to set up shop within the state. In places like Boston and Worcester, colleges and research institutions abound with lots of high-quality talent pouring into the workforce each year. This leaves for a relatively saturated job market with high levels of competition for high-paying jobs.

The good jobs exist in Massachusetts, but they are very hard to get as so many people vie for them. Many people with bachelors and masters degrees find themselves working for far less than they are statistically worth or taking cuts on benefits to get their feet in the door.

Before it was mandatory to own a health insurance policy in Massachusetts, a relatively young and healthy person could take a risk and work fruitfully as an independent contractor for a few years until a tenured salary position was made available through their experience. Now many graduate's hands are being tied by this law, forcing them to choose between staying in the state or finding cheaper pastures elsewhere.

The grass may not be greener in other states on every level, but cost of living is cheaper, for sure. Boston ranks among the top 10 expensive cities to live in. Tack on student loans, a full-priced health insurance plan and inordinate rents and property costs, and suddenly lots of places across the country, or even out of the country, may begin to look more appealing.

Whatever the presidential candidates plan to do about health care, along with the innumerable other pot holes the Bush Administration has helped create, they need to do it quickly once in office. A "go slow" policy of integrating economic and social improvement plans just will not do. Massachusetts residents pride themselves on living in a state with an amazing standard of living and it is essential that the culture and traditions created by families going back several generations be able to live in place affordably.