In April 2006, Massachusetts enacted a landmark health reform law, known as “Chapter 58,” to improve access to affordable health insurance for nearly all residents. The Foundation served as a catalyst for the law by funding the "Roadmap to Coverage" initiative. Working with The Urban Institute, the Foundation published comprehensive, objective research to inform the debate about how to best provide health coverage for the uninsured and by convening key stakeholders around these issues. The Foundation continues to monitor the implementation of health reform through participant and provider surveys, reporting, and policy analysis.

Related Publications

• Health Reform: Lessons from the Massachusetts Experience
  December 12, 2008
  This report summarizes the impact of health reform thus far and may be used as a point of reference for policy makers who are considering approaches to health reform elsewhere at either the state or national level. If the Massachusetts model continues to work, all or part of this model and its supporting principles may be useful in local or national health reform efforts.
• How Have Employers Responded To Health Reform In Massachusetts? Employees’ Views At The End Of One Year
  October 28, 2008
  This policy brief uses data from surveys of working-age adults to provide an assessment of employers’ responses to the reforms enacted under the Massachusetts health reform law from the perspective of their employees.
• Massachusetts Health Reform: A Public Perspective From Debate Through Implementation
  October 28, 2008
  An examination of public opinion in Massachusetts toward health reform from 2003 through 2008.
• After The Mandates: Massachusetts Employers Continue To Support Health Reform As More Firms Offer Coverage
  October 28, 2008
  An examination of employers' responses to the implementation of the Massachusetts health reform law and whether or not "crowd out" has occured.
• The Impact of Health Reform on Underinsurance in Massachusetts: Do the insured have adequate protection?
  October 01, 2008
  A 10-page issue brief that assesses the extent to which the insurance provided in Massachusetts under health reform in 2007 protects individuals from financial risk in the event of a major illness or injury.
• Who Gained the Most Under Health Reform in Massachusetts?
  October 01, 2008
  An eight-page issue brief that analyzes the impacts of health reform on insurance coverage across different population groups in the state. Specifically, it examines differences in insurance coverage by demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, and gender), health status, employment, and geography.
• Massachusetts Health Reform Public Opinion Survey Topline Results
  July 01, 2008
  Results of a public opinion survey of Massachusetts residents about health care reform.
• Massachusetts Health Reform Public Opinion Survey
  July 01, 2008
  Results of a public opinion poll of Massachusetts residents about health care reform.
• On The Road To Universal Coverage: Impacts Of Reform In Massachusetts At One Year
  June 03, 2008
  This issue paper was published in Health Affairs and provides an early look at the impacts of health reform in Massachusetts on working-age adults — the primary target population for the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law. The paper focuses on changes in insurance coverage, access to health care, and the costs of obtaining health care for adults during the first year under reform.
• Report From Massachusetts: Employers Largely Support Health Care Reform, And Few Signs Of Crowd-Out Appear
  November 14, 2007
  An examination of employers' responses to the implementation of the Massachusetts health reform law and whether or not "crowd out" has occured.
• Health Insurance Coverage and the Uninsured in Massachusetts: An Update Based on 2005 Current Population Survey Data
  August 01, 2007
  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 Bureau’s 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplements to the Current Population Survey. It updates figures in an earlier chartbook that was released in June 2005—Health Insurance Coverage and the Uninsured in Massachusetts.
• Forging Consensus: The Path to Health Reform in Massachusetts
  July 01, 2007
  An independent report by health care journalist Irene Wielawski that examines how various interests in Massachusetts politics forged consensus to pass the 2006 health reform law.
• Massachusetts Health Reform Tracking Survey
  June 01, 2007
  Toplines from the June, 2007 Massachusetts Health Reform Tracking Survey.
• Massachusetts Health Reform Tracking Survey Chartpack
  June 01, 2007
  Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health/Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Massachusetts Health Reform Tracking Survey. This was the first in a series of surveys measuring Massachusetts residents’ attitudes towards and experiences with the 2006 health reform law.
• The 2006 Massachusetts Health Reform Law: Progress and Challenges After One Year of Implementation
  May 01, 2007
  This report is an overview of the first year after implementation of the Massachusetts health reform law. It catalogs some of the most significant milestones and achievements and describes how policymakers, stakeholders, and the new Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority and its Board managed a host of potentially contentious issues and decisions.