Impact of Massachusetts Health Reform Law In 2006 the state of Massachusetts passed the health reform law. The goal of the law wasto reduce the number of uninsured people in the state which at that time stood at 650,000 out ofthe state’s population of 6.4 million (Long et al., 2016). It hoped to achieve near […]
To start, you canImpact of Massachusetts Health Reform Law
In 2006 the state of Massachusetts passed the health reform law. The goal of the law was
to reduce the number of uninsured people in the state which at that time stood at 650,000 out of
the state’s population of 6.4 million (Long et al., 2016). It hoped to achieve near universal health
coverage mainly by subsidizing health insurance for the state’s low income earners. Since it was
enacted the law has had successes and challenges as well.
Benefits and challenges of the policy
The biggest benefit of the law was reduction of numbers of uninsured people in the state.
Before the law came into force, Massachusetts had 6.4% of its population uninsured in 2006. By
2009 the figure had dropped to just 2.7% (Long et al., 2016). Thus, the law significantly reduced
the number of uninsured persons just around two years after being enacted.
Its main challenge was rising cost of care. After passing of the law there was an increase
in insurance premiums. In addition, the requirement that patients co-pay for services and office
visits further increased cost of care among low income patients because previously such patients
would have received the services for free from Uncompensated Care Pool program (Long et al.,
2016).
Suggested improvements to the policy
To address the challenge of rising healthcare costs, the policy should have been improved
through focusing more on preventive care rather than treatment of various healthcare conditions.
Studies have shown that preventive initiatives conducted on broad populations can greatly lower
the cost of universal health insurance (Long et al., 2016). In a state such as Massachusetts where
IMPACT OF MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH REFORM LAW 3
30% of children and 60% of adults are overweight, a prevention-focused healthcare policy can
significantly reduce the financial resources used in treating conditions such as diabetes (Long et
al., 2016).
Massachusetts health reform law and population health approach
The state’s health reform law takes a population health approach by addressing some of
the barriers to healthcare. For instance, by subsidizing health insurance for the state’s lowest
income earners, the policy reduces the role of income as a healthcare barrier. Additionally, the
policy supports wellness programs such as nutrition and family planning (Long et al., 2016). The
policy, therefore, largely takes a population health approach.
IMPACT OF MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH REFORM LAW 4
References
Long, S. K., Skopec, L., Shelto, A., Nordahl, K., & Walsh, K. K. (2016). Massachusetts health reform at
ten years: great progress, but coverage gaps remain. Health Affairs, 35(9), 1633-1637.
Select your paper details and see how much our professional writing services will cost.
Our custom human-written papers from top essay writers are always free from plagiarism.
Your data and payment info stay secured every time you get our help from an essay writer.
Your money is safe with us. If your plans change, you can get it sent back to your card.
We offer more than just hand-crafted papers customized for you. Here are more of our greatest perks.