The Future of MassHealth: Five Priority Issues for the New Administration

Responsible for the health care coverage of nearly two million residents and $13.7 billion in related expenditures, the future of MassHealth matters to all of us. This report, by Manatt Health Solutions, includes a series of recommendations that emerged through interviews with consumer advocates, providers, insurers, business leaders, public officials, and policy experts as priorities for the next governor.

Findings from this report were featured at a Foundation event held on December 9, 2014, MassHealth Matters: Priorities for the New Administration. Click here to learn more about the event and to see a copy of the slide presentation of the report by Patricia Boozang, Managing Director of Manatt Health Solutions.

Click here to watch the MassHealth Matters video.

Enrollment Volatility in MassHealth: A Progress Report

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 report is a follow-up to a 2010 MMPI study, also by Robert Seifert and colleagues, Enrollment and Disenrollment in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, which described the consequences of enrollment volatility, quantified its extent in Massachusetts programs, and compared that experience with other states.

Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012: Implications for MassHealth

This report, written by Robert Seifert and Rachel Gershon of the Center for Health Law and Economics at UMass Medical School, examines the key components of the most recent Massachusetts health reform law - Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012 - as they pertain to the Massachusetts Medicaid program (“MassHealth”). Under the new law, MassHealth will be subject to the annual spending growth benchmark and will be required to implement alternative payment arrangements for most of its members, among other new requirements and responsibilities.  For a broader overview of Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012, see the Foundation’s report: Summary of Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012. For additional information about scheduled stakeholder meetings, grant opportunities, and other implementation updates, see the state's website, Implementing Health Care Cost Containment.

Fiscal Year 2013: House and Senate Budget Comparison Brief

This budget brief compares the House and Senate Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 2013) budget proposals for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other health care programs. It is the fourth in a series of fact sheets published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) and produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

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Stabilizing MassHealth Funding: Options to Break the Recurring Cycle of Expansion and Contraction

Stabilizing MassHealth Funding: Options to Break the Recurring Cycle of Expansion and Contraction, written by Beth Waldman of Bailit Health Purchasing, Robert Seifert of the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Kate Nordahl of MMPI, discusses the challenges and implications of the counter-cyclical nature of the Medicaid program and options to reduce the reactive swings in MassHealth funding and scope of services that can come with downturns in the economy.

Innovations in Medicaid: Considerations for MassHealth

Report summarizing the results of a series of interviews conducted by the Center for Health Care Strategies with key Medicaid stakeholders from across the country on cutting-edge Medicaid strategies including: purchasing strategies to optimize delivery systems; payment strategies to leverage existing funds; integrated models of care to improve services for complex populations; and opportunities for improved organizational capacity.

FY2012 General Appropriations Act Brief

This budget brief describes the sections of the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 2012) final budget bill as signed by the legislature and including the Governor's vetoes' that are relevant to MassHealth (Medicaid) and other programs that support health care coverage for the state's low- and moderate-income populations. It is the final in a series of fact sheets published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) and produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

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The ACA's Impact on Medicaid: Changes and Opportunities for MassHealth

This report, by Beth Waldman from Bailit Health Purchasing and Kate Nordahl of the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute, provides an in-depth discussion of the provisions from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which impact Medicaid programs and how these provisions will be applied in Massachusetts.

FY2012 Governor's House 1 Budget Proposal

This budget brief describing the Governor's Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 2012) budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other health care programs is the first in a series of fact sheets that will be published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) and produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will be publishing budget fact sheets at each stage in the FY 2012 budget process, as budget proposals move through the legislature.

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The Basics of the Massachusetts Medicaid Program

A fact sheet that introduces MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, describing its basic structure, benefits, and beneficiaries. It examines how enrollment and spending have changed over time and describes some current policy issues and challenges. A updated fact sheet that introduces MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, describing its basic structure, benefits, and beneficiaries. It examines how enrollment and spending have changed over time and describes some current policy issues and challenges.