The massachusetts health care reform law requires most residents over 18 who can afford insurance to have health coverage for the entire year, or pay a penalty through their tax returns. Health care reform health care reform research papers discuss term used to describe changing health policy in a given country, specifically in the united states. The patient protection and affordable care act enacted march 23, 20102 and. An update as of fall 2010 5 introduction in april 2006, massachusetts enacted a health care reform law that sought to move the state to near universal insurance coverage. Massachusetts is a leader in public health and healthcare reform, enacting legislation in 2006 that resulted in the nations lowest uninsured rate a designation the state continues to hold, with an uninsured rate of just 2. Changes in economic conditions and health insurance coverage, 20002004. Changes include increased protection for those with preexisting conditions, heightened penalties for certain employers who dont provide insurance, additional availability of insurance for children up to age 26, closure of the medicare donut hole for prescription drug. Penalties add up for each month you dont comply, but there is a grace period that allows lapses in coverage of 3. Progress and challenges after one year of implementation alan g.
Massachusetts has been in continuous campaign mode on health reform since 2004, when then gov. Massachusetts health and hospital law manual, mcle, looseleaf introduction payment and reimbursement for health care services state and federal administrative agencies regulating health care providers and. The massachusetts health care reform law requires that most residents over 18 who can afford health insurance have coverage for the entire year, or pay a penalty through their tax returns. Reconciling the massachusetts and federal individual. A compilation of laws, regulations, and web sources on the law of medical care and treatment.
Massachusetts health care reform health and human rights. While the new law stated that the individual mandate applied only if. Health care reform comprehensive national health system reform, aimed at expanding the number of insured americans, controlling the growth of health care spending, improving americans health status and supporting quality improvement initiatives, was signed into law on march 23, 2010. This health plan meets minimum creditable coverage standards that are effective january 1, 2009 as part of the massachusetts health care reform law. Affordable care act affordable care act essays examine the first major overhaul of the u.
Massachusetts health connector this is the state agency managing mandatory health insurance. You can qualify for aca subsidies through the connector. Massachusetts health care reform nearuniversal coverage. Census data massachusetts reform strategies, such as an exchange where private insurers compete, a requirement that. T he massachusetts health care reform bill was signed into law 12 april 2006. The legislation reflects a compromise reached by gov. Coverage expansion, health reform, state health care reform. Massachusetts health care reform kaiser family foundation.
This report briefly summarizes specified aspects of massachusetts health reform legislation in 2008, 2010, and 2012. While achieving political consensus on reform is difficult, implementation can be equally or even more challenging. These common elements have included the use of an insurance exchange to provide information and potentially ease purchase of insurance, implementation of an individual mandate, and an. These may sound a little smug, but in a year when the red sox may not. The key features of massachusetts initiative, entitled an act providing access to affordable, quality.
The 2006 health reform legislation provided broad access to health insurance for. The sweeping health reform initiative in massachusetts, an act providing access to affordable, quality, accountable health care enacted april 12, 2006,1 provides a natural experiment with outcomes that may foreshadow those of the comprehensive national health reform president obama signed into law 4 years later. To gauge the likely implications of the national policy we analyze how the massachusetts health care reform act impacted various hospitalization outcomes in each of the 25 major diagnostic categories mdc. Mitt romney r and advocacy groups from both parties began to promote universal coverage. Romney enacted a landmark health legislation to control costs and. The data in this article are based on a case study of massachusetts, including interviews with key stakeholders.
It also needs to figure out how to rein in the escalating costs of medical care and health insurance. The commonwealth of massachusetts in the united states passed a healthcare reform law in 2006 with the aim of providing health insurance to nearly all of its residents. Recent evidence shows that the reform boosted payments to physicians from private insurers by % relative to other areas. Under the microscope of the national health care reform debate, questions have been raised about the appropriateness of the massachusetts model for the country as a whole, given the costs of the pr. What you need to know massachusetts adopted a broad healthcare reform package designed to cover most of the states uninsured population. This success was derived in part from the laws welldesigned individual mandate, which requires that most resi. The new national reform law includes many provisions designed, over time, to. The national reform law has provisions designed to reduce spending in. Massachusetts health insurance reform impact on insurance. Key to both initiatives is the individual mandate to have health insurance and the creation of state exchanges to help provide individuals and employers with choice, transparency and ease of shopping. Massachusetts health care reform law lowered death rates. Since its initial adoption, massachusetts has adapted the state reform program to meet the requirements of the federal affordable care act aca. The law mandated that nearly every resident of massachusetts obtain a minimum level of insurance coverage, provided free and subsidized health care insurance for residents earning less than 150% and 300%, respectively, of the. Raymond may 2007 bcbsma foundation landmark center 401 park drive boston, ma 02215 6172463744 massachusetts medicaid policy institute landmark center 401 park drive boston, ma 02215 6172464022.
In 2006, massachusetts enacted comprehensive health reform legislation aimed at ensuring that all residents have health insurance coverage. While it was enacted with more than twothirds support in 2003, in practice the sop proved to be. The federal health care law is over 900 pages long. Findings from massachusetts health reform umass medical school. Massachusetts requirement to purchase health insurance.
The 2006 healthcare reform in massachusetts relied heavily on the private insurance market. The massachusetts health care reform act, which became law on april 12, 2006, requires massachusetts residents to have health insurance and penalizes those who do not obtain health care coverage. Massachusetts health care reform has left small business. The affordable care act is currently in the rollout phase. Generally, if youre compliant with the aca, youre not subject to the massachusetts health insurance penalty. In exploring the implementation of the 2006 massachusetts law that aimed to provide health insurance to all state residents, this case prompts readers to consider the promise and the challenges of designing and putting into practice an extensive set of public policy innovations. Can massachusetts lead the way in health care reform. Massachusetts will soon have affordable health insurance and the costs of health care will be reduced. Massachusetts passed comprehensive health care reform in 2006, providing a model for the affordable care act dubbed by some as obamacare. Assessing the results pulls together in one publication the findings of surveys and other efforts to monitor the impact of the 2006 massachusetts health reform law, chapter 58. The massachusetts health care reform legislation was passed into law on april 12, 2006 an act providing access to affordable, quality, accountable health care. We describe some of the politics behind the legislation and the laws key details.
The massachusetts health care reform law predated the affordable care act, and the aca and massachusetts law now work in tandem to some extent. Over six years ago, the state of massachusetts enacted the massachusetts healthcare reform act, aimed at achieving universal health care coverage for residents of massachusetts. To provide an assessment of the potential trajectory of the nation under the aca based on the massachusetts example, this paper summarizes the evidence of the impacts of massachusetts health reform effort on insurance coverage, access to and use of care, and health care affordability for individuals since 2006. Health reform in massachusetts, expanding access to health insurance coverage. The governors goal is to make efficient integrated care organizations the predominant health care provider by 2015. If you purchase this plan, you will satisfy the statutory requirement that you have health insurance meeting these standards. The massachusetts employers comprehensive guide to. Key provisions of the law include subsidized health insurance for residents earning. Hospital utilization and universal health insurance. You can read the affordable care act by visiting the links below. Much can be learned from massachusettss experience implementing health insurance coverage expansions and an individual health insurance mandate. No other state requires health insurance coverage for all of its residents, which makes this legislation and its pending implementation of intense. Changes include increased protection for those with preexisting conditions, heightened penalties for certain employers who dont provide insurance, additional availability of insurance for children up to age 26, closure of the medicare donut hole for prescription drug coverage, and more. Opinion health care reform and massachusetts the new.
The act contains provisions creating certain employer responsibilities for making health care. Penalties add up for each month you dont comply, but there is a grace period that allows lapses in coverage of 3 or fewer consecutive months. Pdf massachusetts recently enacted a major health reform that could move the state. I formed morey law, a boutique law firm, with a focus on and commitment to providing quality and personalized legal representation, obtaining outstanding results. Patient protection and affordable care act, pl 111148 hr 3590 the federal health care law is over 900 pages long. The commonwealth of massachusetts in the united states passed a healthcare reform law in 2006 with the aim of providing health insurance to nearly all of its. Chapter 305 of the acts of 2008, an act to promote cost containment. This increase began immediately before the reform became law, suggesting that insurers raised payments in anticipation of the change. The brief also compares massachusetts health reform with the national reforms included in the affordable care act aca signed into law by president obama in 2010. In short, all residents are required to purchase health insurance by july 1, 2007, and. We utilize a differenceindifference approach to identify the impact of the massachusetts reform on insurance coverage and. Massachusetts health care reform bill summary the massachusetts health care reform bill chapter 58 of the acts of 2006 aims to provide health insurance coverage to almost all residents of massachusetts through a combination of medicaid expansions, subsidized private insurance programs, and insurance market reforms. Massachusetts makes health insurance mandatory massachusetts is the first state to require its residents to secure health insurance, a plan designed to. Change in health insurance coverage in massachusetts and.
Massachusetts residents can explore plans and sign up using the massachusetts health connector. Romney signs into law a health care reform bill during a ceremony at faneuil hall on april 12, 2006 in boston, massachusetts. Health care reform law and the implementation process continues. This law makes changes across the health care system in the united states with the goal of increasing access to. These included limits on annual capital investments and savings to providers from reduced uncompensated care. Opinion health reform in massachusetts the new york times. Table 1 on the next page provides key details on the four broad components of the reform. A number of key elements of the massachusetts health care reform package have emerged in the final health reform bills developed by the house and the senate. What is the evidence on health reform in massachusetts and how. Mitt romney r with leaders of the state senate and house. Based on the concept of shared responsibility, the individual mandate to have health insurance if one is deemed able to afford it is fully in effect and it has worked remarkably well. Massachusetts health reform the massachusetts health reform was billed as an act providing access to affordable, quality, accountable health care,1 with the main goal of expanding access to health insurance and health care. Read the affordable care act, health care law healthcare.
This legislation mandates that massachusetts residents age 18 and older obtain and maintain health insurance that meets a minimum creditable coverage. Overview of national health reform the aca was signed into law by president obama on march 23, 2010. Massachusetts relaxes rules for employer health care. The result was a 2006 massachusetts health care reform act the act, which imposes a host of requirements on massachusetts residents and employers, as well as on insurance companies doing business in massachusetts. Understand the massachusetts health insurance penalty. First, a few remarks about how massachusetts health care reform is going. Implementation of the massachusetts health care reform has largely failed to address the needs of small businesses and their employees. Before i established morey law group in 2014, i was a partner at a boston law firm where i focused primarily in health care law and litigation. The goal of the legislation is to provide nearuniversal coverage of the massachusetts population.