In the first of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management's "In Our Own Backyard" lecture series, two of the University's top healthcare-policy experts said Massachusetts' recent health-insurance legislation must serve as a model for other states as the country moves toward widescale and necessary reform. The series focuses on the predominant issues affecting the health and well-being of American society.

Prof. Stuart Altman (Heller), a nationally recognized authority on healthcare policy, and Prof. Michael Doonan (Heller), the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, gave an overview of the Commonwealth's reforms, which combine an "individual mandate" to purchase health insurance, a fee on businesses that do not provide health insurance and an increased financial responsibility for the state government.

That combination, they said, should serve as a guide for the state-by-state reforms that have never been more necessary in an environment of ever-rising costs and improbable federal-level reform.

"It's a lot easier to beat something than to build a coalition and try to pass it," said Doonan, explaining why the Massachusetts plan found initial success. "This way, everyone gives a little, but not a lot."

The professors mentioned California as an example of a state that has mirrored elements of the Massachusetts plan. California faces problems, however, stemming from its significantly larger noncitizen population. Other states are also attempting reform. Altman said he has received inquiries from healthcare reform committees in Vermont and Kansas.

The next event of the "In Our Own Backyard" series, scheduled for Feb. 13, is titled "New Immigrants: Public Policies and the Roads to Integration.