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.

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 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.

This chart pack provides updated MassHealth enrollment data as of September 2016.

This budget brief highlights the fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. It is the last in a series of FY2017 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with Health Management Associates.

The third edition provides a detailed description of key components of Chapter 224, highlighting the progress the state has made in its implementation of the law as of September 2016. This tool is designed for policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders who wish to track when and how state leaders have addressed policy issues pertaining to Chapter 224.

This year’s release includes two distinct versions of the tracking tool: 1) An abbreviated version that focuses on progress the state has made since August 2015; and 2) A more comprehensive version which documents progress the state has made in implementing the law since its passage in 2012.

This tracking tool is a living document and will be updated annually. If you have any suggested additions or corrections, please email [email protected].

This report includes findings from the evaluation of the 2015 Fostering Effective Integration grant program. The goals of the evaluation were to determine 1) how grantees defined “success” for their integration efforts, 2) grantee perceptions of the critical components of effective integration programs, 3) common barriers to integration, and 4) measures grantees used to assess programs.

In recent years, integrating treatment for mental health and substance use disorders (SUD) with primary care has been the subject of extensive research testing a number of different integration models and specific interventions. While many of these approaches have shown promise in demonstrations or clinical trials, the true test of value is in real-world settings where there are competing demands on scarce resources, strict fidelity to intervention protocols is difficult, and patients have multiple urgent needs. This report, prepared by a team led by Robin Clark and Deborah Gurewich of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, describes the process of providing integrated care for patients with SUD at three sites in central Massachusetts: Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, Family Health Center of Worcester, and Community Healthlink. It identifies common practices that improve care coordination for individuals with SUD and concludes with overarching key findings from the study.

Massachusetts currently has the lowest uninsurance rate in the nation, and as part of the individual mandate to carry health insurance coverage, the state collects detailed information through its tax filing process about the health insurance status of over four million residents. This report analyzes 2011 and 2012 state tax filer data and provides new information about Massachusetts residents that are prone to remaining uninsured over consecutive years. The findings can help inform stakeholders who want to maintain the state’s low uninsurance rate and who strive to lower the number of individuals without health insurance coverage.

Prepared by Michael Chin of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Audrey Gasteier of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, the analyses in this report represent the first time that tax filer data is being used to quantify the state’s uninsured population over a period of two consecutive calendar years. No other state has such detailed information on its residents’ insurance status.

UPDATED (June 2016) 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 January 2016 and spending from state fiscal year 2015 and is made available in PDF and Power Point formats to facilitate its use in presentations.

The Foundation hosted a webinar with authors Bob Seifert and Carol Gyurina 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, June 29, 2016.

Click here to access the webinar slides.

This brief describes the Massachusetts Senate fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs and compares it to the proposal put forth by the House. It is the third in a series of FY2017 budget briefs produced by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) in partnership with Health Management Associates. MMPI will be publishing budget briefs at several stages in the FY2017 budget process as proposals move through the state legislature.