His name is Dr. Jon Kingsdale and when it comes to health insurance he has heard it all. When Massachusetts made the bold move of implementing the now well-known health insurance mandate, it was never expected that it would be embraced with open arms by all. Quite the contrary many are at the very least confused by the health insurance mandate, and at the worst unhappy with it.

Dr. Kingsdale is the one to hear all the complaints, and the one to trying to do something about them. He is the director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector, the state agency that was set up to oversee compliance with the mandate. As the Director Dr. Jon has been traversing the state, appearing at town meetings, speaking at chambers of commerce and business groups or taking rounds at area hospitals.

Virtually ever person and every business is touched by the mandate, and virtually all of them have different opinions about it. There are people who support the formation of a state-run single-payer health insurance provider, and those who think the state is already too heavily involved for the mandate to succeed. There are small-business owners who feel they are not being treated fairly when it comes to how their income is determined,. There are residents of low to moderate income who claim they cannot afford to comply with the health insurance mandate even with the low cost heath insurance premiums created by state subsidies. There are practitioners who think that the reformed programs will not reimburse them enough to cover operating expenses, and of course patients who are concerned about being denied access to care and treatment.

Speaking to the press recently Dr. Kingsdale said, "It is all about balance. We think that it has gone reasonably well, but I underline ‘think,’ because I know this is tough stuff. There are consumers who feel that even if the government is paying 80 percent of the premiums, they can't afford the other 20 percent."

Dr. Kingsdale holds a doctorate in economic history from the University of Michigan. He was formerly a senior vice president at Tufts Health Plans and he was an instructor Harvard and at Boston universities. All those involved with setting up the Connector and State officials involved in the mandate all believe “they picked the right guy” when he was selected to head up the Connector in 2006.

Kingsdale says his main goal now that the affordable health insurance plans have all been developed is to get people to call The Connector and enroll. He has started a massive public awareness campaign teaming up with major super market chains, non-profit groups even The Boston Red Sox to get the word out.