Affordability Still a Challenge
This collection of reports and chart packs is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the results of the Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has been conducted annually since 2006. This round of the survey, which was fielded in the fall of 2013, was jointly funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These results provide a means for continuing to monitor the efforts in Massachusetts to sustain the coverage gains achieved through the 2006 health reform law. In addition, the 2013 MHRS provides a new baseline for assessing the impacts of the state's efforts to improve the affordability of care and reduce health care spending because it coincides with the first full year under the provisions of Chapter 224 of 2012 and precedes the roll-out of major changes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that began in January 2014. Findings show that while Massachusetts has maintained high levels of health insurance coverage and health care use, the cost of care continues to remain a significant burden, especially for low- and middle-income individuals and families.
This year’s results are presented in a variety of publications including:
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A chart pack;
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A methodology report and a copy of the survey instrument.
In an effort to expand opportunities for researchers to understand the experience of Massachusetts consumers with accessing and affording health care, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be making available a public use file of the 2013 surveys as they did with the previous years' surveys (i.e., 2006 - 2010, 2012). The 2012 public use files will be available through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.
