On June 21, the Urban Institute released a brief examining lessons learned from the experiences of Massachusetts’ 2006 health care reform.  The authors suggest that Massachusetts’ experiences are somewhat predictive because the national law is modeled after Massachusetts’ law.  The brief asserts that Massachusetts experienced a substantial increase in insurance coverage, a limited reduction in employer-sponsored coverage, high compliance with the law’s individual insurance mandate, increased access to care, and a decrease in the financial burden of care.  However, the authors note that Massachusetts also faces rising health costs and a shortage of providers.  The brief examines Massachusetts’ response to these problems as possible models for addressing those issues nationally.  The authors suggest that only the federal government can fully address cost containment issues.

From the report:

The 2010 national health reform legislation—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)—is modeled on Massachusetts’ 2006 landmark reform effort. As in Massachusetts, national reform includes expansions of public programs, the creation of health insurance exchanges, subsidies for low- and moderate-income individuals, an individual mandate, and requirements for employers, among other provisions. Given the strong parallels between Massachusetts’ health reform initiative and national health reform, the experiences in the Bay State provide insights into the potential effects of PPACA.

Massachusetts’ health reform initiative, entitled An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care (Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006), aimed to make comprehensive insurance coverage available and affordable for residents as a first step toward improving access, use, affordability, and quality of health care in the state.

Full report: What Is the Evidence on Health Reform in Massachusetts and How Might the Lessons from Massachusetts Apply to National Health Reform? (PDF | 88.6 KB)

The Urban Institute. (2010). What Is the Evidence on Health Reform in Massachusetts and How Might the Lessons from Massachusetts Apply to National Health Reform? Long, S.K.