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This budget brief compares the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget proposals for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the third in a series of FY 2015 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will be publishing budget fact sheets at several stages in the FY 2015 budget process, as proposals move through the state legislature.

This brief describes the Massachusetts House of Representatives Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the second in a series of FY 2015 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will be publishing budget fact sheets at several stages in the FY 2015 budget process, as proposals move through the state legislature.

UPDATED chart pack, prepared by the Center for Health Law and Economics at the UMass Medical School, including summary data on MassHealth enrollment and spending. Designed to support use of the charts in presentations. Updated edition includes MassHealth enrollment as of December 31, 2013 and spending from FY 2013.

Affordability Gap Remains Despite Coverage Gains

This chartpack summarizes the impact of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law. The chartpack gathers data from surveys and analyses by state government agencies including the Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and the Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Authority, as well as highlights from health reform tracking surveys conducted by the Urban Institute. This document has been designed to support the use of the charts in slide presentations, and we encourage readers to use them.

This brief describes the Governor's Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the first in a series of FY 2015 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will be publishing budget fact sheets at several stages in the FY 2015 budget process, as proposals move through the state legislature.

This report – written by Elisabeth Rodman of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation – explains how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts chose to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the resulting changes to health programs, policies, and operations.

This brief, produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, supplements MMPI’s state budget analyses by providing information on special funds that support health coverage programs in the state of Massachusetts. It first describes the differences between on- and off- budget funds, and then provides an overview of health-related trust funds, with descriptions of how some will change in FY 2014.

This glossary, prepared by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation with input from the Center for Health Information and Analysis and the Health Policy Commission, defines some of the key cost containment terms necessary to understand Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012 and the health care cost dialogue in Massachusetts.

This budget brief highlights the FY 2014 budget as enacted for MassHealth and other subsidized health coverage programs. This is the last in a series of FY 2014 fact sheets produced by MMPI in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

This budget brief compares the Massachusetts House and Senate Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget proposals for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the third in a series of FY 2014 fact sheets produced by MMPI in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will publish budget fact sheets at each stage in the FY 2014 budget process, as budget bills move through the state legislature.

This budget brief describes the Massachusetts House of Representatives' Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs, and compares the House budget with the Governor’s proposal. It is the second in a series of FY 2014 fact sheets produced by MMPI in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will publish budget fact sheets at each stage in the FY 2014 budget process, as budget bills move through the state legislature.

From 2001 through 2010, the Foundation awarded $10.5 million to 48 organizations across the Commonwealth through the Innovation Fund for the Uninsured. The organizations profiled in this report, along with the other grant recipients, were at the forefront of delivering higher-quality, more cost-effective care. They honed a number of strategies that remain instructive today, including team-based care, case management, coordination of physical health and behavioral health care, and the use of community health workers.

This report, by Robert Seifert and Amanda Littell-Clark of the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Health Law and Economics, summarizes recent efforts by the Massachusetts Medicaid program (“MassHealth”) to address enrollment volatility and provides recommendations to mitigate remaining challenges by leveraging the opportunities presented with the transition to ACA-compliant eligibility systems and programs.

This comprehensive chartpack features, in one easy-to-use resource, data and complete references on topics including Massachusetts health care spending trends, cost drivers, and variations in pricing, as well as key differences in health care cost trends between Massachusetts and the U.S.