I love the idea of universal (mandated) health insurance coming to Massachusetts.

I'm lucky, I have a great insurance policy, courtesy of my boyfriend partner husband; others, of course, aren't as lucky, and the cost of the insurance policies may cause hardship for them.

Here, in a nutshell, is the problem:

Last year, [Annabelle Blake] saw a dermatologist for a couple of moles and ended up with a bill for $600. She borrows an inhaler from friends when her asthma acts up. And she battles mild depression on her own.

But she does occasionally worry about not having regular check ups, since two of her grandparents died of cancer and other family members saw their depression worsen with age.

What does Ms. Blake think about the universal healthcare program?

"It's a basic trespass on who we are as Americans," said Blake, of Roxbury, who works as a temporary administrative assistant or accounting clerk. "They get to decide what's best for me."

That's a problem. Because, of course, if she doesn't take care of herself now, then she'll be sick, later, and the cost of her care will become a burden for the rest of us who pay for our own insurance (and, therefore, into the state's uncompensated-care pool).

No one likes being forced to do something. No one likes having to dish out more money for something they may never need.

In this case, however, it seems to me to be an excellent (if imperfect) solution to a big, big problem.

Source: Facing up to insurance changes - By Alice Dembner, The Boston Globe