Faces of MassHealth: Coverage Across the Commonwealth
MassHealth is at an inflection point. A new federal law will soon make deep eligibility and financing cuts to the program, and Massachusetts policymakers will need to make difficult health care coverage and funding decisions in light of those changes. Given this context, it is more important than ever to fully understand who MassHealth members are and to hear from them about the role MassHealth plays in their lives.
This chart pack goes beyond the topline statistics often used to characterize those served by MassHealth in order to paint a fuller, more meaningful picture of the more than one in four Massachusetts residents enrolled in the program. MassHealth serves the lowest income and most medically fragile residents across the state - from infants and children with complex needs who gain access to comprehensive health care and support services, to the elderly and those living with disabilities who receive community-based care that helps them remain in their homes.
The chart pack uses both quantitative and qualitative data to describe MassHealth members. It includes key demographic characteristics of people enrolled in MassHealth and documents the personal experiences that brought individuals to MassHealth and how the program has benefited their lives and families. Included with the release of this chart pack is a companion databook that provides more detail on the featured quantitative findings for those interested in further exploring the characteristics of MassHealth members.