Feds OK state's plan to mandate health care

BOSTON (AP) — The federal government has given its approval to a first-in-the-nation program in Massachusetts that will require everyone to carry health insurance, officials announced Wednesday.

The state's universal health insurance program will use a combination of subsidies and penalties to make coverage more affordable and to encourage people to buy it.

"Our ability to now insure every Massachusetts citizen is a historic achievement for both the commonwealth and the nation," Gov. Mitt Romney said in a statement.

Romney, a Republican considering a 2008 White House campaign, signed the state's new health care law in April, and since then it has been under review by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., lauded the announcement.

"Instead of facing health care cuts, we're well on our way to achieving our long-standing goal of health care for all."