All in favor...

Two-thirds of Massachusetts residents who have heard of the new health care law support it, according to a new survey from Kaiser Family Foundation, the Harvard School of Public Health and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.

“Given reports of sticker shock and ongoing debate about the law, we might have expected overall support to fall, but in fact, support is widespread and has gone up,” said Kaiser President and CEO Drew E. Altman, Ph.D. “If Massachusetts succeeds, it will have a big impact on the momentum for national health reform.”Residents who support the law mainly say it is because they believe “it is the right thing to do” (90% of those who support say this is a major reason) and because they believe broader coverage will keep costs down by providing more incentives for preventive care (79%). Among the small group of residents who oppose the law, most say people shouldn’t be required to buy insurance if they can’t afford it (72%) or if they don’t want it (61%).

That strong public support comes at least partly from how well various constituencies have worked together on implementation. Success isn't a slam dunk, but Massachusetts is doing a better job on health care reform than other states.