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FY2012 HWM Budget Proposal

This budget brief describing the House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM) Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 2012) budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other health care programs is the second in a series of fact sheets that are published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) and produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI is publishing budget fact sheets at each stage in the FY 2012 budget process, as budget proposals move through the legislature.

Building an Effective Health Insurance Exchange Website

The first in the Health Reform Toolkit Series, this toolkit offers resources to help states plan, build, and implement health insurance exchange websites. The series is designed to share examples, templates, experiences, and lessons learned from Massachusetts implementation with other states working on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Each toolkit includes a written narrative "guide"" as well as a variety of primary source documents: organizational structures

Lessons from the Implementation of Massachusetts Health Reform

Massachusetts groundbreaking 2006 health reform law served as a model in many respects for the insurance coverage provisions of the 2010 federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This report by Alan G. Raymond and funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation presents an overview of key lessons from Massachusetts that could be relevant to stakeholders working to implement health reform in other states and nationally.

FY2012 Governor's House 1 Budget Proposal

This budget brief describing the Governor's Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 2012) budget proposal for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other health care programs is the first in a series of fact sheets that will be published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) and produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. MMPI will be publishing budget fact sheets at each stage in the FY 2012 budget process, as budget proposals move through the legislature.

The Basics of the Massachusetts Medicaid Program

A fact sheet that introduces MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, describing its basic structure, benefits, and beneficiaries. It examines how enrollment and spending have changed over time and describes some current policy issues and challenges. A updated fact sheet that introduces MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, describing its basic structure, benefits, and beneficiaries. It examines how enrollment and spending have changed over time and describes some current policy issues and challenges.

Closing the Gap on Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities: Lessons Learned from 2005-2008 Grantees

In 2005, the Foundation launched the Closing the Gap on Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities grantmaking area and secured the Disparities Solution Center at Massachusetts General Hospital as an evaluation partner. This report highlights stories of change from policy, organizational, provider, and client perspectives. Lessons from this report guided the Foundation in revising its funding strategy for the subsequent 2008–2011 grantmaking cycle.

Re-Forming Reform: What the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Means for Massachusetts

According to this new report, implementation of national health reform will direct billions of new federal dollars into the Massachusetts health care system, expand public coverage to reach more of the state's residents, and has the potential to help the state reach its cost containment and quality of care goals. Written by the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, this report is the most comprehensive assessment to date of how the national reform law intersects with the Commonwealth's own health reforms.

Health Reform in Massachusetts: An Update as of Fall 2009

This report is the latest in a series by the Urban Institute analyzing the impact of the Massachusetts health reform law. Findings show that despite the state's economic recession Massachusetts has maintained record low levels of uninsured and access to needed health care has improved. Additionally, disparities in coverage and care have been eliminated or narrowed. Solid public support for the health reform law continues. This report is based on the 2009 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has tracked the impact of the law annually since 2006.

The Impacts of Health Reform for Women in Massachusetts

This policy brief based on data from the 2009 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey shows that women have achieved significant gains in insurance coverage and in access and use of health care since health reform was implemented in Massachusetts. The gains were particularly strong for subgroups of women who had lower levels of coverage and poorer access prior to reform, including lower-income women, women of minority race/ethnicity, and women without dependent children.

A Convening of Grantees on the Commonwealth Care Bridge Program

In August 2009, legal immigrants who have been in the United State for fewer than five years lost their eligibility for health insurance coverage under Commonwealth Care. They now receive coverage under the Bridge Program. In December, the BCBSMA Foundation brought together grantees, government officials, advocates, and health insurers for an informal discussion about how and why these changes were made, and how to improve coverage for legal immigrants.

Learning To Be Present (4:02)

Jennifer Chow, the Grantmaking Program Manager for the BCBSMA Foundation, participated in the Massachusetts Institute of Community Health Leadership in 2006 and 2007, when she was the Outreach and Enrollment Manager for Health Care for All. In this video, she talks about the impact the program has had on her work and how she interacts with grantees.

Why I Do What I Do (4:31)

Joe Ianelli, the Financial Services Manager for Massachusetts General Hospital, talks about what he learned as a student of the Massachusetts Institute for Community Health Leadership.