BOSTON, April 12 (UPI) -- The Massachusetts governor has vetoed part of a bill that would give healthcare to most uninsured poor residents but impose a fee on some businesses.
The state Legislature passed the bill April 4 aimed at decreasing the state's uninsured rate by requiring all who lacked coverage to purchase a plan by July 1, 2007.
Those who couldn't afford it -- people with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level -- would be covered by a program subsidized by the state.
The Kaiser Family Foundation Daily Health Report said part of that program would be funded by a $295 per employee annual fee levied on employers with more than 10 uninsured workers.
Romney signed the legislation Wednesday but vetoed the employer fee.
Proponents of the bill including the fee say they have enough votes in the legislature to override the veto.
