MassHealth Matters: Priorities for the New Administration

Responsible for the health care coverage of nearly 1.7 million individuals and $13.7 billion in related expenditures, the future of MassHealth matters to all of us in the Commonwealth. On the morning of December 9th, the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI), a program of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation held an event featuring a presentation of the findings from a report by Manatt Health Solutions. With a new governor-elect and new members of the MA Legislature, this report, based on over 40 interviews with a range of stakeholders and policy experts, can serve as a catalyst for an on-going dialogue around the key issues, opportunities and policy options for MassHealth in the next four years. The event featured a panel of key stakeholders who are invested in MassHealth and the people it serves.

Click here to watch the video featured at this event.

Please join us on Wednesday, December 13th for an event featuring key findings from a forthcoming report focused on developing a vision and action plan for achieving a racially and ethnically equitable health care delivery system in Massachusetts. Accompanying the report we will release a “Health Equity Action Plan Toolkit,” which identifies a comprehensive set of interventions, policies, and programs from around the country that can be deployed by health system leaders and other stakeholders to achieve health equity goals.

This in person event will include a presentation by our partners at Manatt Health who will describe the vision and plan for action—collectively the “Health Equity Action Plan”—for achieving a racially and ethnically equitable health care delivery system in Massachusetts. The agenda will also feature a panel of reactors that will speak to the proposed approach to launch this action plan in Massachusetts. A formal agenda and list of speakers will be shared prior to the event.

Registration is closed.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation held an event on Thursday, January 31st on the topic of creating a model behavioral health system in Massachusetts. The event featured a presentation by Manatt Health on the findings from a new report that analyzes the current state of the Massachusetts behavioral health care delivery system, identifies gaps and challenges in the system, and proposes a series of recommendations to help move Massachusetts toward a model behavioral health system. The proposed model system is inclusive of all payers and intends to deliver coordinated, whole-person, and recovery-focused care to individuals with mental health and substance use disorder care needs across the state; the model is based on programs, policies, and practices that have demonstrated success.

Following the presentation of findings, there was a moderated discussion among national experts. They spoke to existing programs or models in other states that have accomplished aspects of what Massachusetts is striving for and key considerations for Massachusetts as it envisions moving toward this model system. Confirmed panelists include:

• Stuart Buttlaire, PhD, Regional Director of Behavioral Health Inpatient, Continuing Care, and Addiction Medicine, Kaiser Permanente
• John O'Brien, Senior Consultant, Technical Assistance Collaborative, Incc
• Kimá Taylor, MD, MPH, Managing Principal, Anka Consulting LLC

This webinar featured a review of key facts and data about MassHealth eligibility, benefits and delivery systems, costs, and recent reforms from our October 2024 edition of the MassHealth: The Basics – Facts and Trends chart pack. The goal of the webinar was to provide participants with basic background information about MassHealth, including what benefits MassHealth covers, who it serves, program spending, and a status update on the state’s latest delivery reform efforts.

On December 7, 2017, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, The Boston Foundation, Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations hosted an event featuring hospital institutions and their approaches to investing in housing. The event highlighted the diverse models of seven institutions across the country and state, key successes, and lessons learned, as represented by the following speakers:

National Panel

• Penrose Jackson, Director, Community Health Improvement, The University of Vermont Medical Center
• George Kleb, Executive Director, Housing & Community Development, Bon Secours Baltimore Health System
• Monica J. Mitchell, PhD, Senior Director, Community Relations, and Professor, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Massachusetts Panel

• Shari Nethersole, MD, Executive Director for Community Health, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Joan Quinlan, MPA, Vice President for Community Health, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Frank Robinson, PhD, Vice President, Public Health, Baystate Health
• Megan Sandel, MD, MPH, Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch, Boston Medical Center

The Foundation hosted a webinar on Thursday, March 20th on the topic of potential threats to subsidized health insurance coverage and financing in Massachusetts under the new federal administration. The goals of the webinar were to:

• Provide a high-level overview of MassHealth, the Health Connector, and publicly subsidized health insurance programs in Massachusetts.
• Describe the changes in federal health care financing and policy related to subsidized coverage that are likely being considered by the new federal administration.
• Provide estimates, based on existing data, on the impact of these potential changes (in terms of dollars or lives) in Massachusetts.

The webinar featured a presentation by our colleagues at Manatt Health, as well as time for audience Q&A. 

The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute, a program of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, held an event exploring the strategic and operational aspects of creating effective cross-sector partnerships between community-based social service organizations and health care providers. In recognition of the importance of social determinants of health on the overall health and well-being of populations, MassHealth's Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model has incorporated explicit goals aimed at fostering coordination and integration of health-related social services. The event featured discussion to help identify best practices that may be translatable to the developing MassHealth ACOs.

This event, in collaboration with the Center for Health Care Strategies, showcased three such partnerships: 1) the Henry Ford Health System and the Ruth Ellis Center working together to provide a range of social services including meals, peer supports, and short-term housing, in addition to primary and preventive care to LGBTQ youth in Detroit, Michigan; 2) a partnership between the city of Central Falls, Rhode Island, a local community health center, Memorial Hospital, the YMCA, and the Department of Parks and Recreation aimed at creating a Neighborhood Health Station, a one-stop shop for all health needs, including related social services; and 3) a partnership between Providence Healthcare and Catholic Charities of Spokane, Washington to operate the Respite Program at the House of Charity for individulas with acute conditions who are experiencing homelessness.

Webinar Dates:
Thursdsay, October 8, 2015, 12-1PM
Friday, October 16, 2015, 12-1PM

Massachusetts' Medicaid program (commonly referred to as "MassHealth") provides health insurance to more than one in four Massachusetts residents and, as of March 2015, enrollment has risen to 1.8 million people.

The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) hosted a webinar featuring our recently updated edition of MassHealth: The Basics - Facts and Trends, a chart pack that includes summary data on MassHealth enrollment and spending. Speakers included MMPI Senior Director Kate Nordahl and Bob Seifert, Principal Associate, and Carol Gyurina, Health Policy Associate, from the Center for Health Law and Economics, University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Click here to view a recording of the October 16th webinar.