The Connector Board is about to make two decisions that are critical to the success of health care reform – the elements of minimum creditable coverage (MCC) and the standards of affordability for enforcing the individual mandate.

There is a tendency on the part of advocates and others to overreach in both areas – setting the MCC requirements too high and establishing affordability standards that are too broad. Doing either, or both, risks dealing a fatal blow to reform. Read more…

The population the Artists Foundation serves, working artists in all
disciplines, is a key test population for Massachusetts health care reform law. If a system can be created that is affordable and accessible for this population and their unique needs, the system will be as close to foolproof as it can possibly be. Read more…

Good news hit the papers in recent weeks on health insurance savings for certain key constituencies. First, there was the news of negotiated reductions with the incumbent Massachusetts health plans for the uninsured and likely individual customers of the Connector. Then there was the announcement Wednesday that the GIC was only facing a 5% increase for the new fiscal year. This was certainly good news not only for the state and state workers, but also for those cities and towns wishing to join in on the cost saving benefits of group negotiation and discounts available through the GIC.

Yet none of this news was particularly comforting to small businesses and other small group employers across the Commonwealth. Read more…

MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, has already contributed strongly to the goals of health reform: increasing enrollment by 40,000 as of the end of January (of an estimated 89,000 made newly eligible by Chapter 58), and providing systems operations support to the Connector in order to get Commonwealth Care up and running. (MassHealth enrollment actually dipped – probably temporarily – in January, the result of the resumption of an administrative requirement to periodically re-establish eligibility that had been suspended since last July.)

MassHealth provides a foundation for health reform in other important ways that warrant policy makers’ attention. Read more…

We’re approaching the one year anniversary (April 12) of the signing of Chapter 58, the health insurance reform bill that is the subject of this blog. The bill was signed by Gov. Romney with a phalanx of leaders from both democratic and republican parties and celebrated not only as the solution for keeping federal funds flowing into Massachusetts to care for the uninsured (a major reason for the bill), but also as THE solution to the mess we call the health care system. Media reports have mostly been celebratory since then, and there have been dozens of stories across the country of other states mimicking Massachusetts’ solution to the problem of the uninsured.

But is it successful? Read more…

Last Thursday, the Connector Board took a major step forward in implementing the health reform law. The Board unanimously endorsed a broad range of product choices from seven carriers, including Harvard Pilgrim. These products will be available on May 1st, with coverage effective July 1st. Read more…

When I was asked by Governor Patrick to become his Secretary of Administration and Finance, I was of course greatly honored – and also mindful of the major challenges that awaited me in helping to assemble the Governor’s first budget in a difficult fiscal environment.

I have to admit that, at the time, I wasn’t thinking about health care reform as a significant part of my job portfolio. But I quickly learned otherwise. Read more…

Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration did indeed “move mountains” with its recent successful negotiation of lower rates for Commonwealth Choice. In addition to being another big step for health care reform, it also illustrates the pressing need for frequent, timely, comprehensive communication to Massachusetts residents about programs available to them under health care reform. Read more…

The debate over health care reform implementation in Massachusetts has become focused on the critical issue of defining the level of “minimum creditable coverage”, the minimum level of insurance generosity that will satisfy the individual mandate. This is not a decision that can be avoided; without such a definition, the mandate has no teeth. Read more…

Nearly everyone who helped to craft Massachusetts’ landmark health care law applauded recently when affordable premiums were announced by the Commonwealth Connector. Access to affordable health care was clearly among the law’s primary goals, and it now appears that those Massachusetts residents, who haven’t enjoyed ready access to care, will be able to find a plan that fits their budget. Read more…