Big Jump In Health Coverage in Mass.

Massachusetts is experiencing a big jump in health insurance and a big drop in payments for the uninsured under the state’s health care law.

Between Jan. 1 and March 31, the number of people getting health insurance grew from 340,000 to 439,000, according to figures released by the Patrick administration.

A total of 191,000 people have purchased private insurance since the law took effect in June 2006. Another 176,000 purchased subsidized insurance, while 72,000 have been given insured through government programs.

When former Gov. Mitt Romney signed the bill into law in April 2006, the number of uninsured people in Massachusetts was estimated at 400,000 by the state and 650,000 by federal officials.

Meanwhile, the number of uninsured residents seeking free emergency care at hospitals and community health centers has fallen. Between Oct. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2006, some 396,000 people sought free care. During the same period last year, that number fell to 248,000 — a decline of 37 percent.

State payments for treating those people fell from $166 million to $98 million, which is a drop of 41 percent.

“To have insured nearly a half-million people in less than two years is nothing short of remarkable,” Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement. “The significant reduction in free care through the Health Safety Net provides further evidence that health care reform is having its intended effect.”