Coverage, Access, and Affordability

Revisiting Massachusetts Health Reform:18 Months Later

Community Catalyst report by Christine Barber and Michael Miller, examining early enrollment, coverage and implementation issues from a consumer advocacy perspective. (December 2007)

Massachusetts Health Reform Implementation: Major Progress and Future Challenges

Health Affairs article by John McDonough, Brian Rosman, Mehreen Butt, Lindsey Tucker, and Lisa Kaplan Howe on the first two years of implementation. (June 2008)

Health Reform in Massachusetts: An Update as of Fall 2010

This report is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the impact of the Massachusetts health reform law. Findings show that despite the state's economic recession Massachusetts has maintained record low levels of uninsured and access to needed health care has improved. This report is based on the 2010 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has tracked the impact of the law annually since 2006. View a chartpack of the key findings here. (January 2011)

Reasons Why Patients Remain Uninsured after Massachusetts’ Health Care Reform: A Survey of Patients at a Safety-Net Hospital

Journal of General Internal Medicine by researchers at Cambridge Health Alliance describing characteristics of uninsured patients seeking care in a safety net hospital and reasons for lacking insurance despite Massachusetts health reform. (September 2011)

MassHealth Enrollment Growth Since Reform

Analysis by MMPI examining the growth in MassHealth enrollment since passage of the state’s health reform law. This analysis shows that most of the growth in MassHealth enrollment (76 percent) has been in eligibility categories that existed prior to reform, and therefore would have occurred in the absence of the state’s health reform law. Click here to see a summary power point slide of the results. (May 2011)

Medical Bankruptcy in Massachusetts: Has Health Reform Made a Difference?

The American Journal of Medicine article by David Himmelstein, Deborah Thorne and Steffie Woolhandler regarding the impact of Massachusetts health reform on medical bankruptcy. (March 2011)

The Importance of the Individual Mandate—Evidence from Massachusetts

New England Journal of Medicine article by Amitabh Chandra, Jonathan Gruber and Robin McKnight on the impact of the individual mandate on Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Care Program. (January 2011)

The Impacts of State Health Reform Initiatives on Adults in New York and Massachusetts

Health Services Research article by Sharon K. Long and Karen Stockley comparing health reform efforts in New York and Massachusetts. (January 2011)

Massachusetts Health Reform in 2008: Who are the Remaining Uninsured Adults?

State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) report by Sharon K. Long, Lokendra Phadera, and Victoria Lynch on the demographic, economic, social, and geographic characteristics of nonelderly uninsured Massachusetts residents, using the American Community Survey (ACS), funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (August 2010)

Health Reform in Massachusetts: An Update as of Fall 2009

BCBS of Massachusetts Foundation report by Sharon K. Long and Karen Stockley of the Urban Institute, analyzing how the Massachusetts health reform law has affected coverage and access to care, based on the annual Massachusetts Health Reform Survey. View a visual presentation of the key findings here. (June 2010)

In Debt But Not Indifferent: The Access Project's Medical Debt Resolution Program

Report by Andrew Cohen and Carol Pryor of The Access Project on the impact of Massachusetts health reform on medical debt, including issues related to health reform that left people vulnerable to unaffordable medical bills. (September 2008)

Health of Massachusetts report

Massachusetts Department of Public Health website includes links to a comprehensive report that combines statistical information with policy perspectives from the field of public health, including assessments of the impact of Massachusetts health reform. (April 2010)

Short-Term Effects of Health Care Coverage Legislation: Massachusetts, 2008

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessment of changes in population health indicators from pre- to post- Massachusetts health reform. (March 2010)