Between 27,000 and 40,000 children in Massachusetts who had either limited health insurance coverage or none at all on Saturday became eligible for subsidized insurance when the state implemented the first provisions of its universal health insurance law, the Boston Herald reports. Another 600,000 adults who are covered under MassHealth, the state's Medicaid plan, on Saturday had their benefits expanded to include dental care, chiropractic services, orthotic shoes and eye glasses. Budget cuts in 2002 had eliminated coverage for those services (Brodkin, Boston Herald, 6/30). Romney in April signed into law a bill that aims to expand health care coverage to nearly all of the state's uninsured residents. The bill will require all residents to purchase health insurance by July 1, 2007, and will create a low-cost, state-subsidized health insurance program for residents with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 6/6). According to Brian Rosman, research director for Health Care For All, the coverage expansion that took place on Saturday was accomplished by raising the qualifying annual income limit for MassHealth from 200% of the federal poverty level to 300% of the federal poverty level. Implementation of other provisions in Massachusetts' new law will continue over the next several years, the Herald reports (Boston Herald, 6/30). In related news, state officials on Friday proposed exemptions from a regulation that requires businesses with 10 or more employees to offer their workers health insurance or pay a $295-per-employee annual fee, the Boston Globe reports. Under the exemption, businesses with 25% of their workers sign up for a company's insurance plan or the company pays one-third of the premiums for an individual's coverage would not be subject to the fee (Krasner, Boston Globe, 7/1).