Browse by Medicaid

This issue brief looks at the terms and conditions of the MassHealth Waiver, approved in July 2006, that will run through FY 2008. The July 2006 Waiver approval incorporates the provisions of the health reform law, which enacted some of the changes required in the initial approval of this Waiver renewal, in January 2005. MMPI produced an analysis of the initial approval last year; this brief updates the earlier one to reflect the terms of the Waiver as they now stand.

The federal Deficit Reduction Act enacted provisions designed to reduce federal Medicaid spending by nearly $5 billion over the next five years. This fact sheet examines two of these provisions in detail and discusses their implications for MassHealth members, administrators and providers.

This report from MMPI and the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center looks at Medicaid spending in relation not only to total public spending, but also to state revenues and overall economic growth. It concludes that, between Fiscal Years 1994 and 2005, Medicaid spending changed very little in relation to the economy as a whole, and therefore was sustainable given the economic growth over that same period. Looking at Medicaid spending with this broader view provides a new context for policy makers as they think about the Medicaid budget, now and in the future.

This issue brief reviews the concept of budget neutrality and, within its constraints, the options available to maximize federal dollars for coverage of the uninsured.

This report provides new perspectives about the importance of MassHealth for the state's business community and, in particular, explains how a strong MassHealth program benefits employers. MassHealth is a major source of health insurance for low-wage workers, covering more than 400,000 employed people and their families. It is a major reason why Massachusetts has a relatively low percentage of people without insurance, and program expansions have helped reduce the costs of uncompensated care, which is financed in part by the business community.

In 2005, Massachusetts renegotiated with the federal government major provisions of the State’s Medicaid program governed by the MassHealth Waiver, which has been in effect since 1997. The new terms of the Waiver, which became effective July 1, 2005, are significantly different from the current terms, particularly in the details of how the program is financed. This issue brief describes the most significant changes in the Waiver agreement and identifies the major issues involved with state implementation.

As many as 106,000 of the State's 460,000 uninsured residents could be eligible for MassHealth coverage. The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute's new issue brief "Eligible but Uninsured: Challenges to Getting and Keeping MassHealth" describes current initiatives to enroll the eligible uninsured and examines some of the barriers Massachusetts residents face to getting and retaining MassHealth benefits.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 created a new drug benefit for Medicare recipients, which began in 2006. The new law had significant effects on the Massachusetts Medicaid program, which at the time provided prescription drug and other benefits to about 190,000 Medicare beneficiaries. This policy brief identifies the key factors affecting the interaction between Medicare and Medicaid and describes the impacts "financial, programmatic and administrative" of the new drug benefit on the Medicaid program in Massachusetts.

Non-elderly people with disabilities comprise one-fifth of MassHealth enrollment and an even larger share of expenditures, yet their circumstances and the crucial role of Medicaid in financing essential services for them are not well understood. This comprehensive report seeks to promote such understanding and support informed policy discussions about this group.