Residents of Massachusetts will have to pay a greater fine if they are not enrolled in health insurance. Individuals from the state can face a fine as much as $912 by the end of 2008. The fines will be about $76 per month which is based on 50% of the cost of current health plans available to individuals from Massachusetts. The fine will apply to all residents of the state that are at least 27 years old and earn more than 3 times the federal poverty level. Fines will vary based on the age and yearly earnings of the individual.

The new increase is an aggressive attempt to push residents to purchase health insurance. The fines create a financial burden on the residents of Massachusetts to purchase health insurance. Since the beginning of 2007, about 300,000 have purchased health insurance to avoid the fines. The state estimates between 370,000 and 500,000 still remain uninsured. The newly adjusted campaign to pressure individuals to purchase health insurance will surely increase the number of insured within the state. The penalty will now become a greater financial burden than the cost of health insurance. The original plan was created by the Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney and how now been drastically increased. The plan may upset many people in the state but the benefits will outweigh the costs in the long run.