Federal authorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired on September 30, 2017. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have filed a bill to extend CHIP for five years, but Congress did not act quickly enough to prevent the current authorization from expiring. Unspent federal CHIP funds may be carried over into the next fiscal year and Massachusetts’s current allotment of federal CHIP funds should allow the state to continue to use CHIP funds for benefits until early 2018. However, we have now entered a policy limbo in which states are hopeful for reauthorization but must also determine other coverage options for children if funds run out.

As follow up to the Foundation’s June report, The Importance of CHIP Reauthorization for Massachusetts, this brief provides an update on the status of federal reauthorization for CHIP and a summary of its potential impact on the program in Massachusetts.

UPDATED (September 2017) chart pack produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI), a program of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, in partnership with the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. This updated edition includes MassHealth enrollment as of May 2017 and spending from state fiscal year 2016. It is made available in PDF and PowerPoint formats to facilitate its use in presentations.

The Foundation hosted a webinar with author Bob Seifert from the Center for Health Law and Economics, University of Massachusetts Medical School to review the updated summary data on MassHealth enrollment and spending on Wednesday, October 11, 2017. Click here to access the webinar materials.

This primer is designed to increase understanding of the behavioral health care system in Massachusetts and the issues affecting access to care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. It is intended to serve as a foundation for future work focused on behavioral health system solutions.

This resource provides a brief background on the state’s behavioral health system, a historical overview of policy changes that have affected access to behavioral health care, and a review of prevalence data highlighting trends in mental health and substance use disorders. The remaining sections present state specific data on four primary factors affecting access to behavioral health care: 1) workforce capacity; 2) system capacity; 3) affordability; and 4) quality. This primer concludes with a review of the gaps in available data on these topics and behavioral health care generally, which limits the ability to provide a comprehensive account of the behavioral health system and client access.

This chart pack provides an overview of the Senate-proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, highlighting some of its key provisions, particularly as they relate to Medicaid. Developed by Manatt Health, this chart pack was commissioned by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation for the Massachusetts Coalition for Coverage and Care.

This report describes the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Massachusetts and its role as part of MassHealth. Though there is no expiration date for CHIP in federal law, Congress has authorized funding of the program through September 30, 2017. Without Congressional action, a majority of states, including Massachusetts, will exhaust their current federal CHIP allocation by March 2018. This report discusses the importance of CHIP and the broader health policy debate, including reauthorization, now taking place in Washington.

This chart pack provides updated MassHealth enrollment data as of March 2017.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, on behalf of the Massachusetts Coalition for Coverage and Care, funded a state-level analysis on the impact of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on Massachusetts focused on 2022, when the law would be fully phased in.

Created by the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, this analysis uses state-level cost and coverage data from MassHealth (the state’s Medicaid program), the Massachusetts Health Connector Authority, and the Center for Health Information and Analysis. It is believed to be the first published study of the bill’s impact on an individual state.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, on behalf of the Massachusetts Coalition for Coverage and Care, funded a state-level analysis on the impact of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on Massachusetts focused on 2022, when the law would be fully phased in.

Created by the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, this analysis uses state-level cost and coverage data from MassHealth (the state’s Medicaid program), the Massachusetts Health Connector Authority, and the Center for Health Information and Analysis. It is believed to be the first published study of the bill’s impact on an individual state.

Using data from the 2011-2015 five-year file of the American Community Survey, this brief and set of detailed tables provide estimates of local uninsurance rates in Massachusetts. The appendices provide data on the estimates of the number and rate of uninsurance by the following categories: all persons, males, females, children (ages 0-17), non-elderly adults (ages 18-64), and elderly (ages 65+). Each appendix provides these results for a different geographic unit, including large areas such as congressional districts and smaller areas such as school districts.

This chart pack provides an overview of proposals to cap federal Medicaid funding and the considerations for Massachusetts.

This chart pack provides an overview of proposals to cap federal Medicaid funding and the considerations for Massachusetts.

This chart pack provides an overview of proposals to cap federal Medicaid funding and the considerations for Massachusetts.

This report presents the results of a study analyzing the impact of the Community Support Program for People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness (CSPECH) on the utilization and cost of health care services. CSPECH is an innovative program through which MassHealth reimburses community-based support services provided to chronically homeless individuals residing in permanent supportive housing. Findings show that coupling supportive services like the type provided by CSPECH with permanent housing can lead to substantial improvements in housing stability and significant reductions in the utilization of acute health care services.

Findings from this report were featured at a Foundation event held on March 8, 2017. Click here to learn more about the event.

This issue brief describes the key elements of the most recent MassHealth 1115 waiver extension, including the shift to a delivery system centered on Accountable Care Organizations and Community Partners, a Delivery System Reform Incentive Program, the redesigned Safety Net Care Pool, and the expansion of services for treatment of substance use disorders. It concludes with a discussion of implications of the new system for major stakeholder groups.

Despite the near-universal health insurance coverage that the state has maintained for nearly a decade, pockets of high uninsurance remain for both adults and children in communities across Massachusetts. This brief, prepared by the Urban Institute, explores the relationship between community characteristics and the uninsured rate for people of all ages in Massachusetts and highlights the geographic and community context of the remaining uninsured. It also provides data to better target outreach and enrollment activities.