From 2008 through 2011, the Foundation supported 11 community-based coalitions across Massachusetts through its Closing the Gap on Health Care Disparities Initiative. This report, prepared by Mary Coonan and Terry Saunders Lane of The Center for Social Policy, University of Massachusetts Boston, explores areas of coalition development, system change, and public awareness.
As a part of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform, the state implemented an individual mandate to help improve access to affordable, quality health care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) also includes an individual mandate, which differs in many design components from the Massachusetts individual mandate.
These fact sheets highlight the major implications of Massachusetts’s 2012 health care cost containment law, Chapter 224, for four key stakeholder groups: hospitals, health plans, consumers, and clinicians. From increased data reporting requirements for hospitals and health plans, to greater cost transparency for consumers, Chapter 224 will have significant impacts on many aspects of the Massachusetts health care system in the years ahead.
Chartpack providing an overview of trends in federal revenue to support MassHealth.
This report – written by Anna Gosline and Elisabeth Rodman of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation – summarizes the key components of Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012, “An Act Improving the Quality of Health Care and Reducing Costs Through Increased Transparency, Efficiency and Innovation,” which was signed into law on August 6, 2012.
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.
This report funded in part by the Foundation explains how and why Massachusetts business leaders became involved in health reform and the difference their engagement has made and presents the perspectives of individual entrepreneurs, business owners and executives on how Massachusetts health reform has affected their companies, their employees and the overall business climate in Massachusetts.
This budget brief highlights the FY 2013 budget for MassHealth and health reform programs. Since FY 2012, MMPI has produced budget fact sheets on the budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other health care programs for each stage of the development of the state budget as the budget moves through the legislature. Click here to see the full collection.
This budget brief describes authorization of the Delivery System Transformation Initiatives (DSTI) Trust Fund and statutory changes to support implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
This report, written by researchers at the Urban Institute, explores four policy options for assessing employers who do not provide affordable health insurance coverage to their workers as Massachusetts brings its state health reform law into compliance with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
UPDATED chart pack, prepared by the Center for Health Law and Economics at the UMass Medical School, including summary data on MassHealth enrollment and spending. Designed to support use of the charts in presentations.
This poll – conducted in April and May 2012 by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health – asked “sick” Massachusetts residents a series of questions related their perception of health care costs and quality in Massachusetts, the reasons for cost and quality problems, and their personal experience with cost and quality issues. The results showed that sick residents are very concerned about health care costs in Massachusetts, and some struggle with their own costs of care.
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.
A brief summarizing the House FY 2013 budget proposal for MassHealth and other health coverage programs.
