March 10, 2009 10:33AM # Looking to a Failed Model for Health Care Reform By [Michael D. Tanner](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-d-tanner) --- SHARE CNN health care correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who was briefly considered for surgeon general in the Obama administration, [reports](http://media.bulletinnews.com/playclip.aspx?clipid=8cb6f3febab867c) that the administration is looking to Massachusetts as a model for its forthcoming health care reform proposal. That model would involve an individual mandate, an employer mandate, a “connector” with increased insurance regulation, and massive subsidies for the middle class. Given that the Massachusetts plan is expected to run $2–4 billion over budget over the next 10 years, has failed to come close to universal coverage, has done nothing to reduce health care costs (indeed, may have driven up insurance costs), and has actually led to increased wait time for primary care physicians, that may not be the best model out there. In fact, perhaps the Obama administration might like to look at studies by [David Hyman](https://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-595.pdf) and[me](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6407)detailing the Massachusetts model’s many problems. ##### Related Tags [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).