BOSTON, April 12 (UPI) -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Wednesday signed into law a groundbreaking bill making health insurance mandatory.
In signing the measure, the governor called the provocative new policy "a giant leap forward" in beginning to address the problem of the state's more than 500,000 uninsured citizens and a way to "rein in healthcare inflation."
Romney said the new law would give the people of his state "affordable, comprehensive" health insurance and allow Massachusetts businesses to buy affordable plans for their workers.
However, Romney added that with the bold new approach to healthcare coverage come "no guarantees" that the new policy will unfold as planned.
The new law requires that all Massachusetts businesses offer healthcare to their employees and that all individuals carry health insurance. Health plans will be offered on a cost sliding scale, depending on a person's income, and will be tax-subsidized for individuals below a certain income level.
Observers say the new policy could form the model for a national universal healthcare system.
