Your Tax Commissioner Beckons

The state that gave us witch trials & Teddy Kennedy never ceases to amaze us. The new law requiring citizens to have health insurance goes in to effect next year has some more surprises.

The state's new health-care law contains a costly surprise for municipalities -- a requirement that young adults be allowed to stay on a city or town's group health-insurance plan for up to two years longer than they were allowed previously.

The new law, which legislators passed last spring, aims to help every Massachusetts resident purchase health insurance by July 2007. Young 20-something adults make up a portion of the state's 500,000 uninsured residents.

Currently, young adults cease to be covered as dependents on their parents' health-insurance plans when they graduate from college or turn 23.

But as of Jan. 1, when this particular component of the new law takes effect, that age limit will be raised to 25. And for cities and towns, that will mean coming up with more money so the dependents of municipal employees remain covered.

Wonder how much this free coverage is going to cost once the final bill comes in?