New Massachusetts Health Insurance Plan

The premiums that health insurance companies in Massachusetts will charge to cover Massachusetts residents are in line with what the architects of the state's new health insurance law predicted, meaning there should be enough money to pay for the plan in its initial year, state officials said.

State regulators set the health insurance rates Thursday for residents who now lack insurance and earn less than 300 percent of the poverty level. The four insurers offering health coverage will charge monthly premiums of $276 to $391, depending on the type of plan a resident enrolls in and where they live. For residents at or below the poverty level -- $9,804 for a single person -- the state will pay the entire premium. For those above the poverty level, the state will pay a portion of the cost, with the state subsidy shrinking as income rises.