All eyes are on Massachusetts. But why?

Well, the Bay State tackled a major political issue this month. The issue, whose scope spans from Boston Harbor to the Golden Gate Bridge, is health care. And many states and much of the media are closely watching to see if the bill will deliver what it promises -- nearly universal health care coverage. Skepticism abounds.

Passed earlier this month, the bill, which the governor signed into law, requires all state residents to carry health insurance. The bill also states that by July 1, 2007, businesses with more than 11 employees must provide their employees with health insurance or pay a "fair share contribution," which will be calculated for each business and will not exceed $295 per employee.

The bill contains language that insures adults who earn less than $9,800 a year without a yearly premium or deductible. For everyone else, according to Massachusetts State Sen. Therese Murray, a Democrat, health insurance is required as long as "affordable coverage is available."

Massachusetts has taken an ambitious step with this bill. "[T]his reform is the idea that everyone shares in the responsibility for health care," Murray said yesterday. And pursuing health care on this scale is a noble task and germane to the mission of state government.

But as the ambiguity in the bill's language shows, it is not without its imperfections. What exactly is affordable coverage? What may be affordable for one person is not necessarily affordable for someone else.

In Pennsylvania, where having auto insurance is mandated by the state, market pressures -- to some degree -- still regulate the pricing. How can Massachusetts guarantee affordable coverage, presumably undercutting market forces? If it were that simple, then, conceivably, such an equitable system would have been established by now.

Despite the doubts surrounding the letter of the law in this case, the spirit of the Massachusetts bill is appropriately tuned in to the needs of the about half a million uninsured in that state.

Where the federal government discounts the problems of those without health insurance, Massachusetts offers a sheen of hope that some in government can get good work done.

The country's captivated. Skepticism aside, other states should pay attention and work to solve their health care problems, too.