State Expansions: Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Health Reform of 2006 requires everyone in the state obtain health insurance—if affordable coverage is available. In order to increase access to health coverage, the state expanded MassHealth (the state's combined Medicaid and CHIP program), introduced private insurance subsidies, and created an agency to help uninsured people find affordable coverage.

For an in depth look at the Massachusetts expansion, see Massachusetts Health Reform of 2006. (Families USA, August 2007)

For implementation updates, see A Healthy Blog from Health Care for All.

Massachusetts Expansion Resources

• Top Ten Myths about Massachusetts Health Reform (Massachusetts Connector Board, August 25, 2009)
• Estimates from the 2008 Massachusetts Health Insurance Insurance Survey (The Urban Institute, December 18, 2008)
• How Have Employers Responded to Health Reform in Massachusetts? Employees' Views on the End of One Year (The Commonwealth Fund, October 28, 2008)
• Who Gained the Most under Health Reform in Massachusetts? (The Urban Institute, October 2008)
• The Impact of Health Reform on Underinsurance in Massachusetts: Do the Insured Have Adequate Protection? (The Urban Institute, October 2008)
• Massachusetts Health Reform: What's the Real Story? (Health Care for All and Community Catalyst, August 2008)
• Confronting Disparities while Reforming Health Care: A Look at Massachusetts (Families USA, June 2007)
• Proposed Health Reform in Massachusetts: Net Gain for the Business Community (Families USA, January 2006)
• Revisiting Massachusetts Health Reform: 18 Months Later (Community Catalyst, December 2007)
• Getting Ready for Reform (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and The Urban Institute, August 2007)  
• Massachusetts Health Reform: Employers, Low-Wage Workers and Universal Coverage (Center for Studying Health System Change, July 2007)
• Affordable Health Care for All: What Does Affordability Really Mean? (Community Catalyst, April 2007)
• Massachusetts Health Reform: What it Does; How it Was Done; Challenges Ahead (Community Catalyst, April 2006)
• Commonwealth Connector
• Health Care for All
• ACT!! Affordable Care Today
• Disparities Action Network (DAN)

Massachusetts in the News

• State's Health System Popular (Boston Globe, September 28, 2009)
• Switch Saves Immigrants' Health Care (Boston Globe, September 1, 2009)
• Health Fund for Jobless Runs Low (Boston Globe, August 5, 2009) 
• Lawmakers Set to Restore Funds (Boston Globe, July 29, 2009)
• In Massachusetts, a New Idea for How to Pay (The Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2009)
• Patrick Set to Keep Healthcare for Poor (The Boston Globe, June 28, 2009)
• Massachusetts, Model for Universal Health Care, Sees Ups and Downs in Policy (The New York Times, May 28, 2009)
• Group Gives Health Care Law High Marks (Boston Globe, May 20, 2009)
• Age-Based Pricing for Health Insurance Has Some Consumers Cutting Back on Coverage (Boston Globe, April 26, 2009)
• Massachusetts Faces Costs of Big Health Care Plan (The New York Times, March 15, 2009)
• Massachusetts Health Reform: Solving the Long-Run Cost Problem (Urban Institute, January 15, 2009)
• Health Care Data Web Site Launched (The Boston Globe, December 11, 2008)
• Number of Uninsured Continues to Drop in Massachusetts (The Boston Globe, December 18, 2008)
• State Tweaks Health Insurance Rules (The Boston Globe, October 18, 2008)
• Massachusetts Gets $10.6 billion for Health Care Insurance (The Boston Globe, October 1, 2008)
• New Massachusetts Law Aids Children with Mental Illness (AP/The Boston Globe, August 21, 2008)
• 439,000 More Get Health Coverage (The Boston Globe, August 20, 2008)
• Leaders Nip, Tuck Health Care Policy (The Boston Globe, August 11, 2008)
• Agency Expects More to Appeal Health Care Fee (The Boston Globe, July 11, 2008)
• State Plan Changes Minimum Health Insurance Coverage Standards (Amesbury News, July 10, 2008)
• Massachusetts Cigarette Tax Jumps $1 per Pack (The Boston Globe, July 1, 2008)
• Massachusetts Pioneering Health Plan Turns 1 (USA Today, June 30, 2008)
• House takes on health costs (The Boston Herald, June 4, 2008)
• Study Finds State Gains in Insurance (New York Times, June 3, 2008)
• Healthcare affordability figures updated: Governor hails insurance plan (The Boston Globe, April 11, 2008) 
• At two-year mark, Mass. health care law still a work in progress (The Boston Globe, April 11, 2008) 
• Healthcare cost increases dominate Mass. budget debate (The Boston Globe, March 26, 2008)
• Health leaders seek to change payment system (The Boston Globe, March 13, 2008) 
• Health plan rates may rise by 14% (The Boston Globe, February 15, 2008) 
• Cost of health initiative up $400m (The Boston Globe, January 24, 2008) 
• State health plan saves towns money (The Boston Globe, January 20, 2008)  
• Penalties to rise for shunning insurance: State healthcare levy could exceed $900 (The Boston Globe, January 1, 2008)
• Mass. panel approves changes to subsidized health plan (The Boston Globe, December 14, 2007) 
• Panel to press insurers on premiums: Seeks to hold increases to 5% for some plans (The Boston Globe, December 5, 2007)
• Poll Finds Broad Business Support for Health Plan (The Boston Globe, November 14, 2007) 
• Medicaid Cuts Could Cut Mass. $100 million (The Boston Globe, November 13, 2007)
• Healthcare Initiative Reaches Out (The Boston Globe, November 8, 2007) 
• Health Plan Line Swamped with Calls (The Boston Globe, November 5, 2007) 
• Drug Coverage Costs Pose a Challenge: High-Deductible Plan Is Rejected (The Boston Globe, October 12, 2007) 

For general resources on state expansions, see Other Resources.

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