Massachusetts Health Insurance

Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Highlights Doctor Shortage

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:16:00 -0600

While the Massachusetts health insurance law has led to about 440,000 newly insured state residents, the demand for primary care physicians has outpaced the supply, NPR's "All Things Considered" reports. The law, passed in 2006, requires most state residents to be covered either through a state-subsidized plan, an employer-sponsored plan or an individual policy.

Examining Discrepancies In Massachusetts Insurance Reimbursement Payments

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:28:47 -0600

Some hospitals in Massachusetts receive payments from insurers that on average are about 15% to 60% more than payments for the same procedure at competing hospitals, even when there is no evidence that higher-priced care leads to better patient outcomes, according to a Boston Globe review of private insurance data. According to the Globe, an "ongoing Spotlight Team investigation of health care in [the] state found scores of payment disparities for routine procedures in which there is no obvious difference in quality."

Examining Massachusetts Health Insurance Law, Medicare Tool

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:19:40 -0600

Issue brief looks at employer support of Massachusetts health insurance law, Kaiser Family Foundation updates Medicare tool.

Massachusetts' Largest Insurer To Require E-Prescribing

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:28:51 -0500

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest health insurer, will require physicians to adopt computer prescription systems by 2010 to qualify for bonus payments, the Boston Globe reports.

Massachusetts Health Insurance Board Votes For Minimum Coverage Standards

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:21:34 -0500

The Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority board on Friday voted unanimously to proceed with new minimum standards for health coverage, but added exemptions for individuals, unions or employers who can prove that plans that have not been authorized by the state are comparable to the requirements, the Boston Globe reports. In general, state-approved plans must offer benefits for prescription drugs, preventive and primary care, hospitalization, mental health and substance use services, and emergency services.

Newly Insured Massachusetts Residents Seek ED Care

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:52:41 -0500

Massachusetts residents enrolled in the state-subsidized health insurance program Commonwealth Care continued to seek routine care at hospital emergency departments at a rate 14% higher than state residents overall, according to data compiled by the state at the request of the Boston Globe. The state data show that Commonwealth Care beneficiaries used the ED at an annual rate of 557 visits per 1,000 members between Nov. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2007, compared with the statewide average of 488 visits.

Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Could Be Model For US

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:37:53 -0500

"The pioneering Massachusetts program to provide health insurance for all citizens looks more and more successful with each passing month," which suggests that the "plan could become a model for universal health coverage for other states or the nation," a New York Times editorial states.

Massachusetts Increases Health Insurance Coverage

hareyan — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:34:15 -0500

The Massachusetts State government commenced with a plan to increase the number of state citizens with health care coverage in 2006. Today, it is reported that more than 350,000 people have become insured with the new health care plan.

Massachusetts Has Best Rate of Uninsured In The Nation

hareyan — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:25:09 -0500

Massachusetts has the lowest rate of residents who have no health insurance coverage in the country, according to the annual U.S. Census Bureau survey released today.

The state’s average uninsured rate for the years 2006 and 2007 dropped to 7.9 percent. Massachusetts was previously seventh in the country with an uninsured rate of 10.3 percent for the two-year period between 2004 and 2005.

MA Consumers Pay $1.3 Billion a Year For Universal Health Insurance Benefits

hareyan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:01:11 -0500

Rising health insurance costs in Massachusetts, where possession of insurance is required by state law, are in large part attributable to onerous mandatory minimum coverages the state government requires in every policy sold in the state, a new state government study shows.

An assessment conducted by the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (MDHCFP) found 12 cents of every $1 spent on insurance premiums in the state goes toward paying for those mandated benefits--a cost to consumers of more than $1.3 billion per year.