This collection of materials is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute summarizing the findings from the 2018 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS). The Foundation began conducting the MHRS in fall 2006 to support the evaluation of Massachusetts’ 2006 health care reform bill. The survey has been fielded periodically since 2006 – most recently in spring 2018 – to monitor key measures pertaining to health insurance coverage and health care access and affordability among non-elderly adults (ages 19-64) in Massachusetts. For the first time in 2018, the MHRS included several questions pertaining to access to care for mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) services.

The 2018 MHRS highlights the state’s ongoing success at maintaining near-universal health insurance coverage since the passage of Massachusetts’ 2006 health care reform law. However, the survey’s core measures demonstrate that opportunities for improvements in access to and affordability of health care for the state’s residents remain and the new questions on MH/SUDs highlight the significant barriers to care and gaps in access to care faced by those seeking MH/SUD services. The survey findings are a reminder that the goals of health care reform are not fully achieved by simply reducing the number of people who are uninsured. New strategies are needed to improve access to care and reduce the burden of health care costs for Massachusetts adults and their families, particularly for the most vulnerable.

Findings from the 2018 MHRS were featured at a Foundation event held on December 11, 2018. Click here to learn more about the event.

This year’s results are presented in a variety of publications including:

This collection of reports and chart packs is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the results of the Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS) which has been conducted most years since 2006, the year that Commonwealth enacted comprehensive health care reform. The 2015 MHRS, conducted  in the fall of 2015, provides an assessment of the state's efforts to improve the affordability of care and reduce health care spending through the cost containment legislation titled “An Act Improving the Quality of Health Care and Reducing Costs Through Increased Transparency, Efficiency and Innovation” (Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012). It also assesses the impact of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) that began in January 2014.

The 2015 MHRS highlights sustained gains in health insurance coverage since the passage of Massachusetts’ 2006 health care reform law, as well as persistent gaps in health care access and affordability for many of those with insurance coverage. Low-income adults and those with health problems tend to be disproportionately impacted by these gaps. The survey findings are a reminder that the goals of health care reform are not fully achieved by simply reducing the number of people who are uninsured. New strategies are needed to improve access to care and reduce the burden of health care costs for Massachusetts families with insurance coverage, particularly for those made more vulnerable by limited resources and high health care needs.

This year’s results are presented in a variety of publications including:

• Summary
• Full narrative report
• Chart pack
• Infographic

In an effort to expand opportunities for researchers to understand the experience of Massachusetts consumers with accessing and affording health care, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation will be making available a public use file of the 2015 survey as they did with the previous years’ surveys (i.e., 2006 – 2010, 2012-2013). The 2015 public use files will be available through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.

On Tuesday, April 19th, the Foundation hosted a webinar to review key findings from the 2015 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey with author Sharon Long of the Urban Institute. Click here to access the webinar slides.

This report, prepared by Sharon Long and Thomas Dimmock of the Urban Institute, further analyzes the 2013 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS) by comparing the experience of adults with public coverage to adults with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) coverage across a number of access and affordability measures. Findings from the analysis show problems with access to care were more prevalent for adults with public coverage than for those with ESI. These disparities persist even after controlling for variations in health care needs and socioeconomic status between the two groups. The persistence of gaps in access to care for adults with public coverage raises concerns about systemic barriers to care within the Massachusetts health care system.

In conjunction with the full report, the authors developed a one-page summary highlighting key findings from the analysis.

Affordability Still a Challenge

This collection of reports and chart packs is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the results of the Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has been conducted annually since 2006. This round of the survey, which was fielded in the fall of 2013, was jointly funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These results provide a means for continuing to monitor the efforts in Massachusetts to sustain the coverage gains achieved through the 2006 health reform law. In addition, the 2013 MHRS provides a new baseline for assessing the impacts of the state's efforts to improve the affordability of care and reduce health care spending because it coincides with the first full year under the provisions of Chapter 224 of 2012 and precedes the roll-out of major changes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that began in January 2014. Findings show that while Massachusetts has maintained high levels of health insurance coverage and health care use, the cost of care continues to remain a significant burden, especially for low- and middle-income individuals and families.

This year’s results are presented in a variety of publications including:

• A five-page summary report;
• A full narrative report;
• A chart pack;
• A methodology report and a copy of the survey instrument.

In an effort to expand opportunities for researchers to understand the experience of Massachusetts consumers with accessing and affording health care, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be making available a public use file of the 2013 surveys as they did with the previous years' surveys (i.e., 2006 - 2010, 2012). The 2012 public use files will be available through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.

Affordability Gap Remains Despite Coverage Gains

This collection of reports and chart packs is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the results of the Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has been conducted since 2006. This round of the survey, which was fielded in the fall of 2012, was jointly funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. These results provide both a means for continuing to monitor the efforts in Massachusetts to sustain the coverage gains achieved through the 2006 health reform law and an important new baseline against which to assess the impact of the state’s efforts to improve the affordability of care and reduce health care spending. Findings show that while coverage and access to care remain strong in Massachusetts, health care costs continue to be a burden for many individuals and families.  

This year’s results are presented in a variety of publications including:

• a five page summary, including comparing Massachusetts to the nation
• a series of infographics focused on the following topics: coverage, changing patterns of care, medical debt;
• a policy brief analyzing the impact of health care costs in depth;
• a full report; and,
• a chart pack.

For those interested in learning more about the methodology of the survey, please see this report and this survey instrument tool.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be making the complete survey results for all six years of the survey available for public use through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

Findings from the survey were featured at a Foundation event on March 26, 2014. See materials from the event located here.

This report is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the impact of the Massachusetts health reform law based on the Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS).  Findings show that that the remaining uninsured are disproportionately young, male, Hispanic, and non-citizens.  The data presented also show the geographic areas of the state with high numbers of uninsured children and non-elderly adults. Suggested outreach strategies to reach the remaining uninsured include targeting specific populations of uninsured individuals as well as specific geographic areas with higher rates and numbers of uninsured. Click here to view a one-page graphic with key findings from the report.

This report is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the impact of the Massachusetts health reform law. Findings show that despite the state's economic recession Massachusetts has maintained record low levels of uninsured and access to needed health care has improved. This report is based on the 2010 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has tracked the impact of the law annually since 2006.

This comprehensive chartbook describes key findings from the latest Urban Institute report analyzing the impact of the Massachusetts health reform. Data is based on the fall 2009 Massachusetts Heath Reform Survey.

This report is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the impact of the Massachusetts health reform law. Findings show that despite the state's economic recession Massachusetts has maintained record low levels of uninsured and access to needed health care has improved. Additionally, disparities in coverage and care have been eliminated or narrowed. Solid public support for the health reform law continues. This report is based on the 2009 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has tracked the impact of the law annually since 2006.

This policy brief based on data from the 2009 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey shows that women have achieved significant gains in insurance coverage and in access and use of health care since health reform was implemented in Massachusetts. The gains were particularly strong for subgroups of women who had lower levels of coverage and poorer access prior to reform, including lower-income women, women of minority race/ethnicity, and women without dependent children.

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.

An eight-page issue brief that analyzes the impacts of health reform on insurance coverage across different population groups in the state. Specifically, it examines differences in insurance coverage by demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, and gender), health status, employment, and geography.

A 10-page issue brief that assesses the extent to which the insurance provided in Massachusetts under health reform in 2007 protects individuals from financial risk in the event of a major illness or injury.

Results of a public opinion poll of Massachusetts residents about health care reform.