Washington Post Examines Study Showing Decline in Percentage of Uninsured Massachusetts Residents

The Washington Post on Wednesday examined the results of a study that found the percentage of uninsured Massachusetts residents decreased from 13% to 7% last year -- the first year after the state's health insurance law took effect in 2006. The study, by researchers at the Urban Institute, was published online Tuesday in Health Affairs.

Lead author economist Sharon Long said the study found that more residents are receiving medical treatment, including preventive care, and that residents, on average, are paying less out of pocket for care. The report also found that some residents reported having trouble finding medical providers or making appointments, possibly because of an increased demand for services by the newly insured. However, Long said that problems finding physicians have largely been offset by the broader coverage, lower out-of-pocket costs and better preventive care. She added that the higher-than-expected costs of the program reflect its success in enrolling large numbers of residents in health plans.

Long said future enrollment efforts must target residents whose incomes are high enough to afford private health coverage and "the young invincible -- the people who think they are young and healthy, and don't need coverage" (Vedantam, Washington Post, 6/4).

The study is available online.

American Public Media's "Marketplace" on Tuesday reported on the study. The segment includes comments from Long, Bill Vernon of the National Federation of Independent Business, and Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman (Gardner, "Marketplace," American Public Media, 6/3).

Editorial
The Massachusetts health insurance law "has resulted in health insurance coverage for 355,000 people, but it is costing more than expected," and "the law hasn't done anything to alter treatment patterns that have burdened Massachusetts with some of the nation's highest medical costs," a Boston Globe editorial states. According to the Globe, a "far-reaching cost containment bill supported by" state Senate President Therese Murray (D) "should become law." The legislation calls for increased transparency by insurers, a statewide electronic health record system, better recruitment of primary care physicians and a ban on gifts from drug companies to physicians, the Globe writes.

The Globe continues, "A ban on free lunches is nothing compared to the other changes that will be required to make health reform work," adding, "Hospitals will need to make sure that expensive procedures actually produce results," and "[i]nsurers will need to devise payment systems that reward quality, not just quantity of care." In addition, "[p]atients will need to be more cost-conscious, especially about unnecessary visits to emergency rooms," the editorial states (Boston Globe, 6/4).