186553 Can't escape taxes: Massachusetts' solution to determining who has health insurance

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 1:00 PM

Roxanne Reddington-Wilde, PhD , Action for Boston Community Development, Inc., Boston, MA
     
How to prove that you have state-mandated health insurance? The Massachusetts Legislature remembered that you can't escape death or taxes. New to the 2007 state income tax form was Schedule HC, in which adults demonstrated that they possessed health insurance during the past year or faced a financial penalty. Community service providers who run low-income, free tax preparation sites suddenly had to become insurance experts too. The income, religious and hardship appeals built into the schedule made this a complex form for those without insurance. Many tax sites also responded by offering on-site subsidized insurance enrollment. One year's worth of tax returns have now been processed. Has Massachusetts hit upon an effective method for determining who has insurance and punishing those who do not? Are tax preparation sites a good place to meet the uninsured and enroll them in coverage? Community service providers present their experiences on the ground and the policy changes they recommend.

Learning Objectives:
Articulate the pros and cons of determining health insurance possession through the state tax code; Evaluate the effectiveness of using low-income, free tax preparation sites for health insurance enrollment; Assess the applicability of Massachusetts’ tax policies to other state or federal universal health insurance legislations.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am on the steering committee of the Boston EITC Tax Coalition, which oversees 24 community-based free tax preparation sites. I also do health policy work at Action for Boston Community Development, Inc (ABCD). I am also active in the Massachusetts EITC network, composed of organizations statewide which provide free tax preparation. And, I have been working closely with the MA Dept. of Revenue on the implementation of the state's new health insurance mandate throught the tax code.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Massachusetts Health Reform: A perspective from the ground
See more of: Community Health Planning and Policy Development