In 2003, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation launched a multi-year policy initiative to study the options for expanding coverage to the uninsured in Massachusetts. The “Roadmap to Coverage” initiative aimed to develop concrete solutions for covering the uninsured and to constructively engage stakeholders in the policy debate. With the release of each Roadmap report, the Foundation convened health care, business, labor, and government leaders to examine and discuss the ideas presented.

An overview of the steps that would need to be taken to successfully implement the Roadmap coverage expansion options and the sequence and timeframe for completing them.

Implementation policy brief.

Implementation policy brief.

Implementation policy brief.

Implementation policy brief.

Implementation policy brief.

Implementation policy brief.

This report provides new perspectives about the importance of MassHealth for the state's business community and, in particular, explains how a strong MassHealth program benefits employers. MassHealth is a major source of health insurance for low-wage workers, covering more than 400,000 employed people and their families. It is a major reason why Massachusetts has a relatively low percentage of people without insurance, and program expansions have helped reduce the costs of uncompensated care, which is financed in part by the business community. Adequate funding for MassHealth also helps minimize provider cost-shifting to employers.

In 2005, Massachusetts renegotiated with the federal government major provisions of the State’s Medicaid program governed by the MassHealth Waiver, which has been in effect since 1997. The new terms of the Waiver, which became effective July 1, 2005, are significantly different from the current terms, particularly in the details of how the program is financed. This issue brief describes the most significant changes in the Waiver agreement and identifies the major issues involved with state implementation.

This chartbook is a tool to broaden our understanding of the more than half a million people who lack health coverage in Massachusetts, and support the development of policies to help them.

An examination of how to pay for near-univeral health insurance in Massachusetts and the policy options available.

As many as 106,000 of the State's 460,000 uninsured residents could be eligible for MassHealth coverage. The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute's new issue brief "Eligible but Uninsured: Challenges to Getting and Keeping MassHealth" describes current initiatives to enroll the eligible uninsured and examines some of the barriers Massachusetts residents face to getting and retaining MassHealth benefits.

An examination of the costs of providing care for uninsured Massachusetts residents.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 created a new drug benefit for Medicare recipients, which began in 2006. The new law had significant effects on the Massachusetts Medicaid program, which at the time provided prescription drug and other benefits to about 190,000 Medicare beneficiaries. This policy brief identifies the key factors affecting the interaction between Medicare and Medicaid and describes the impacts "financial, programmatic and administrative" of the new drug benefit on the Medicaid program in Massachusetts.