All Publications

Implementing the Rosie D. Remedy: The Opportunities and Challenges of Restructuring a System of Care for Children's Mental Health in Massachusetts

The district court ruling in Rosie D. v. Romney, and the subsequent remedy now being implemented by state health and human service agencies, have the potential to transform the delivery of mental health services for children with serious emotional disturbances in Massachusetts. This issue brief explores the implications and potential effects of the case and the resulting remedy on the MassHealth program, other state programs, the behavioral health and social service delivery systems, and affected children and their families.

Health Insurance Coverage and the Uninsured in Massachusetts: An Update Based on 2005 Current Population Survey Data

This chartbook provides detailed estimates of health insurance coverage in Massachusetts. It uses the most recent information available (for calendar year 2005) from the Census Bureaus 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplements to the Current Population Survey. It updates figures in an earlier chartbook that was released in 6/2005 Health Insurance Coverage and the Uninsured in Massachusetts.

Pay-for-Performance to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care in the Massachusetts Medicaid Program

The 2006 Massachusetts health care reform law included a provision to make Medicaid hospital rate increases contingent upon quality measures, including measures of the reduction of racial and ethnic disparities. To date, no other pay-for-performance programs have incorporated measures of the reduction of racial and ethnic disparities into their incentives. MMPI organized the Massachusetts Medicaid Disparities Policy Roundtable to bring together a group of experts to develop and recommend an approach to implementing the program.

Medicare Part D: Successes and Continuing Challenges

The creation and implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit -- "Part D" -- attracted wide national attention and controversy. This paper, produced in collaboration with the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, looks beyond the anecdotes and gives a progress report on the impact of Part D in Massachusetts for Medicare beneficiaries -- 200,000 of whom are also MassHealth members and for state health programs such as MassHealth and Prescription Advantage.

Topics

The State Children's Health Insurance Program in Massachusetts: Achievements, Challenges, and Implications for Health Reform

The issue brief examines how SCHIP is part of the Commonwealth's universal coverage strategy; how SCHIP is funded in Massachusetts; and the funding shortfalls the program now faces. The brief also details how the SCHIP program and funding are integrated with MassHealth, and the implications of that connection for the upcoming negotiations to extend the MassHealth waiver.

The Outlook for Medicaid in Massachusetts

This report examines some of the important issues, opportunities and challenges facing the MassHealth program at the outset of a new Governor's administration including renewal of the the MassHealth waiver, improving the value of MassHealth purchasing, rebalancing long-term care, and providing strong leadership and bolstering staff.