Here, in a paragraph, are details on Massachusetts new Universal Healthcare law.

The plan requires about 515,000 people, most of the state’s uninsured, to get health insurance by July 1 or face penalties that could include the loss of a personal income tax deduction.

The poorest 55,000 (est.) will have their health insurance covered by Medicaid.

The next 150,000 (those making up to three times the federal poverty limit) will have their premiums subsidized by the state's $1 billion "free-care" pool.

The rest, another 300,000 people, will have to pay for their health insurance on their own.

Those people will be hardest to convince, which is why the state is threatening them with loss of tax deductions, etc.

In addition:

The state will set rules to help insurance companies create health plans intended to be affordable enough for people with lower-middle incomes.

Also, area businesses will be required to offer low-cost (and, unfortunately, low coverage) insurance plans. Alternatively, they will be forced to enroll employees in the state's $295 per month plan. I don't think the companies will be required to pay the $295, or anything; they just need to offer the plan to employees (therefore, it's not a tax).

Expect to hear a lot more about the plan over the coming months. Then, expect to hear a lot about it, from our just-departed Governor.

More: Massachusetts Could Serve as a Guide in California’s Health Insurance Bid - By Pam Belluck, The New York Times