Health Reform in Massachusetts: An Update on Insurance Coverage and Support for Reform as of Fall 2008

This policy brief describes the rate of uninsurance among working-age adults in Massachusetts and public support for health reform. This brief is part of a series funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on implementation of the Massachusetts reforms.

Access to and Affordability of Care in Massachusetts as of Fall 2008: Geographic and Racial/Ethnic Differences (Revised)

This policy brief by Sharon Long of The Urban Institute measures geographic and racial disparities in access to health care in Massachusetts. The data in the brief comes from the third annual Massachusetts Health Reform Survey. This revised version of the policy brief, which was originally published 5/28/2009, reflects changes made after an error in constructing survey weights was discovered and corrected. These changes do not impact the basic findings and conclusions in the original policy brief with respect to geographic differences; however, it does lead to more evidence of racial/ethnic differences in the affordability of health care in Massachusetts.

Shared Responsibility, Government, Business, and Individuals: Who Pays What for Health Reform?

This report is the first assessment of how spending to insure hundreds of thousands of additional people in the Commonwealth is being shared. It finds that the overall distribution of spending on health insurance by employers, individuals, and government remained essentially the same between 2005, one year before passage of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law, and 2007, one year into the laws implementation.

The MassHealth Waiver: 2009-2011 ... and Beyond

On December 22, 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved Massachusetts' request to renew the MassHealth Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Waiver (Waiver) for an additional three years, through the end of state fiscal year 2011. The Waiver, which has been in place since 1997, authorizes critical federal funding for several health coverage programs for low-income individuals and for the Commonwealth's safety net health system for uninsured residents. It is the programmatic and financial underpinning of the state's health care reform law. Through the Waiver, over 1 million low-income children, families and individuals receive coverage through MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, the subsidized premium assistance program for low-income adults created by Chapter 58. This report explains how the state's Waiver works.

Philanthropy and Health Reform, 1982-2008

Community Catalyst report on the role that foundations and other philanthropic organizations played during more than two decades of health care reform efforts in Massachusetts. (January 2009)

Health Reform: Lessons from the Massachusetts Experience

This report summarizes the impact of health reform thus far and may be used as a point of reference for policy makers who are considering approaches to health reform elsewhere at either the state or national level. If the Massachusetts model continues to work, all or part of this model and its supporting principles may be useful in local or national health reform efforts.

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.

Pathways to Public Health Insurance Coverage for Massachusetts Residents

An easy-to-use guide describing public health insurance options in Massachusetts and a set of flow charts illustrating the eligibility pathways to these programs for low-income people and families, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Also available on the Pathways to Coverage website.

Implementing the Rosie D. Remedy: The Opportunities and Challenges of Restructuring a System of Care for Children's Mental Health in Massachusetts

The district court ruling in Rosie D. v. Romney, and the subsequent remedy now being implemented by state health and human service agencies, have the potential to transform the delivery of mental health services for children with serious emotional disturbances in Massachusetts. This issue brief explores the implications and potential effects of the case and the resulting remedy on the MassHealth program, other state programs, the behavioral health and social service delivery systems, and affected children and their families.