all

Coverage Options for Massachusetts: Leveraging the Affordable Care Act

In this issue brief, Patricia Boozang, Deborah Bachrach and Hailey Davis of Manatt Health Solutions, review the coverage and delivery system challenges that Massachusetts could address through sections 1331 (the Basic Health Program) and 1332 (Waivers for State Innovation) of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Addiction and Recovery Services in the City of Boston: A Blueprint for Building a Better System of Care

In 2014, the Foundation partnered with the city of Boston to conduct a thorough analysis of the scope of Boston's substance use addiction problem and selected DMA Health Strategies to conduct the research. With the Mayor’s Office, the Foundation also assembled an Addiction Recovery Advisory Group comprised of addiction experts and community stakeholders to work closely with the researchers.

Paths to Sustainability for Innovative Delivery System Programs

Peter Hussey, Courtney Armstrong, and Eric Schneider of the RAND Corporation conducted interviews with seven health plans and five Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to determine their support for innovative delivery system models including payment arrangements, program development strategies, and the criteria decide whether or not to support these programs.

House of Representatives FY2016 Budget Proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and Health Reform Programs

This brief describes the Massachusetts House of Representatives fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the second in a series of FY2016 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with Rob Buchanan and Tom Dehner of Health Management Associates. MMPI will be publishing budget briefs at several stages in the FY2016 budget process as proposals move through the state legislature.

The Governor’s FY 2016 Budget Proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and Health Reform Programs

This brief describes the governor's fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the first in a series of FY 2016 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with Rob Buchanan and Tom Dehner of Health Management Associates. MMPI will be publishing budget briefs at several stages in the FY2016 budget process as proposals move through the state legislature.

MassHealth and the Importance of Continued Federal Funding for CHIP

Unless Congress acts, federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will run out soon after September 2015. On March 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would fund CHIP for two more years. The Senate is expected to take up the bill in mid-April. This report, written by Robert Seifert of the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, examines the serious implications for Massachusetts if federal funding for CHIP is not extended.

The Geography of Uninsurance in Massachusetts, 2009-2013

This brief and set of detailed tables, prepared by Sharon Long and Thomas Dimmock from the Urban Institute, provide estimates of the number and rate of uninsurance in Massachusetts by various geographic units ranging from congressional districts to counties to neighborhoods. The resource is based on the 2009 to 2013 five-year file of the American Community Survey (ACS), which included a sample of 140,001 people in Massachusetts.

Alternative Payment Models and the Case of Safety-Net Providers in Massachusetts

Megan Burns and Michael Bailit of Bailit Health Purchasing, LLC, provide a comprehensive review of payment reform in Massachusetts and, in particular, how the changing landscape is affecting safety-net providers. For this report, safety-net providers—those providers characterized by serving a high percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured individuals—includes both community health centers and hospitals.

Summary of the MassHealth 1115 Waiver

This report, written by Robert Seifert, Michael Grenier, and Jean Sullivan of the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, summarizes the history of the MassHealth 1115 waiver and examines the key components of the new waiver extension, organized around five themes: coverage, services, delivery redesign, support for the safety net, and looking to the future.

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.

Understanding the Actual Cost of MassHealth to the State

This brief describes the "net" state cost of MassHealth (determined by subtracting the federal reimbursement and similar revenues from the budgeted total), providing a much clearer picture of the impact of MassHealth on the state budget than state budget totals alone. It is a supplement to a series of FY2015 budget briefs produced by MMPI in partnership with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.